Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1, KJV)
Invited to Come
In previous chapters, Isaiah prophesied of God’s Suffering Servant who would come and provide salvation for the whole world. This morning, we read of an invitation to come and partake of this salvation. The appeal especially calls to the thirsty and poor. It calls to the outsider and the outcast.
Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. (Isaiah 56:3, KJV) And notice Isaiah’s call for sinners to turn from sin. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7, KJV)
The Appeal of Jesus
Let’s compare this with the appeal of the Suffering Servant in the New Testament.
…Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (John 7:37, KJV) And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35, KJV)
The Mercy of God
What a promise and what an invitation! The promise is unrivaled by anything this world can offer. The invitation excludes none; all who thirst, come! Only the mind of God could and would conceive of such an offer and make it available to the unworthy!
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9, KJV)
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Isaiah 54-58.