Isaiah 55:1-13
Come to the Waters
1“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
2Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.
3Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.
4Behold, I have made him a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples.
5Surely you will summon a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, has bestowed glory on you.”
6Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
7Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely 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 My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
10For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat,
11so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.
12You will indeed go out with 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.
13Instead of the thornbush, the cypress will grow, and instead of the brier, the myrtle will spring up; this will make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign, never to be destroyed.”
Berean Standard Bible
Everyone who is thirsty is invited to come to the waters. The one without money can buy and eat, not because the gift is cheap, but because God is offering what money cannot purchase. The people are asked why they spend their wages on what does not satisfy.
The LORD promises an everlasting covenant and the sure loving devotion promised to David. David was a witness and leader to the peoples, and now the invitation reaches nations that did not know Israel's God. The LORD's name will draw people from far away.
The wicked are told to forsake their ways and return to the LORD, who will have compassion and freely pardon. God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours as the heavens are higher than the earth. His mercy is not limited by the narrow measure we often use.
As rain and snow come down and do not return without watering the earth, God's word will accomplish what He sends it to do. The people will go out in joy, and creation will sing. Thorns will give way to cypress, and briers to myrtle as a sign of the LORD's renown.
Questions
1 Who is invited to the waters?
AnswerEveryone who is thirsty is invited, including those without money.
2 What question does the LORD ask about their spending?
AnswerHe asks why they spend labor on what does not satisfy.
3 What should the wicked do?
AnswerThey should forsake their ways, return to the LORD, and receive His compassion and pardon.
4 What does God's word accomplish?
AnswerIt accomplishes the purpose for which He sends it, like rain watering the earth.
What This Means for Us
God's invitation exposes our spending of life on things that promise satisfaction but leave us thirsty. The answer is not frantic self-improvement; it is a return to the God who gives freely.
Ask what your family is consuming for comfort and whether it actually nourishes anyone. Come to God honestly, receive His pardon, and let His word send you into joyful action.
Prayer
Merciful Lord, we come thirsty and unable to buy what our souls need. Forgive our empty pursuits, satisfy us with your covenant love, and make your word fruitful in our home. Amen.