732_The full rights of the redeemed (Isaiah 55)
Isaiah 55:6-9 “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.
A sailor stranded at sea is surrounded by water, yet dying of thirst. He cannot drink a single drop without hastening his death. In the same way we are surrounded by opportunities, possessions, entertainment, achievements, and pleasures, yet our thirst for reality and solid satisfaction remains undiminished. The soul was created for God, and until it finds its rest in Him, nothing satisfies its thirst.
Isaiah 55 is God’s gracious answer to that longing. It concludes the section of Isaiah that reaches its climax in the suffering and triumph of the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah 53. The fruit of the Servant’s sacrifice is reconciliation and a renewed covenant with God, with full forgiveness and restored blessings offered to all who return humbly to their God.
Israel understood loss. The exile meant the loss of their homeland, their temple, their king, and their honour among the nations. More painfully still, they had lost the joy of fellowship with God. Sin had left them spiritually hungry, thirsty, wandering, and ashamed. Yet God had not forgotten His covenant. Looking forward to the redemption provided through His Servant, He calls Israel and all people to come and be filled.
The gracious invitation is heard: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!” (Isaiah 55:1, ESV).
It is the thirsty who hear the call. Those who thirst for meaning, forgiveness, peace, and lasting joy, and cannot find it in the world. Those who vainly pursue wealth, success, relationships, pleasure, knowledge, or even religion, only to turn from them wearily, hear the call.
For as verse 2 asks: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” Those words are as relevant today as when Isaiah first spoke them. Why indeed do we spend our lives and our true treasure for fleeting satisfaction that leaves us more frustrated and empty than before?
God’s promise is wonderfully simple: “Listen diligently to me… delight yourselves in rich food.” To the hungry of heart, those who yearn for righteousness, for peace with God, he offers himself. All that is needed is to come and to heed. The feast is spread freely, because he paid the price in his Son’s suffering.
Centuries later, Christ echoed these words when He declared, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). The redeemed discover that the deepest longings of the heart are satisfied by receiving Christ Himself, and not by more of his gifts.
He continues, “Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 55:3). In coming, in listening with faith and obedience, the soul finds itself in a renewed covenant of life and peace. Redemption is not merely the cancellation of guilt; it is the restoration of fellowship through the everlasting covenant grounded in His unfailing love.
He reminds Israel of “the sure steadfast love for David.” Though the kingdom appeared ruined and God’s promises seemed forgotten, His faithfulness was unchanged. Through the ages, God’s people have rested, not on their own faithfulness but on God’s steadfast and loyal love.
Through this restored relationship, God’s message of love and redemption would reach the nations. Everyone who knows him is living proof of his goodness and grace. The joy, hope, and security that flow from fellowship with Christ often speak louder than words, conveying the good news of love to the world.
What does it mean to come to the waters, to listen to God? Isaiah goes on to explain, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). There is both urgency and grace in those words. God commands everybody to repent. His goodness is not permission to continue in sin.
Repentance involves more than feeling guilty. As the prophet puts it, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.” Sin begins in the heart, and God calls us to surrender both our behaviour and our thinking.
The one who returns does not look back at what is left behind, for his gaze is on the shining mercy and forgiveness that draw him to God. “Let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him… for he will abundantly pardon.” God does not forgive reluctantly or sparingly. For the sake of his Servant, Christ, who bore our sins, He abundantly pardons all who turn back to him. No failure is beyond His mercy, and no wanderer beyond His reach.
The inheritance of grace is far beyond our understanding. As Isaiah reminds us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).
We often struggle because God’s methods and timing puzzle us. Why suffering and not glory? Why humility and not honour? Why grace instead of human achievement?
Israel could not understand why exile had become part of God’s plan. Yet what appeared to be the end of His promises became the pathway to restoration. Even the cross appeared foolish to the world, yet it became the very means of salvation.
The same is often true in our own lives. We who trust God do not need to understand everything God is doing. For we are led by, and loved by, the One whose wisdom is infinitely higher than our own.
And God has given us his word that his plans for us are to bless us. Isaiah points to the rain and snow that water the earth and accomplish its ordained purpose – to water crops that provide both food and seed. And God says, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty” (Isaiah 55:11).
Everything God has spoken will surely come to pass. His Word created the universe, announced the coming of the Servant, accomplished redemption, and continues today to convict sinners, strengthen his people, and transform lives. Whenever we meditate on, obey, or share Scripture, we rely on something that can never fail.
God calls his people to celebrate their triumphant restoration. “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace” (Isaiah 55:12). Exile began with tears and shame; restoration begins with joy and peace. Even creation joins the celebration as the curse is reversed. Thorns give way to cypress trees, and briers to myrtle. Judgment is past, beauty and blessing reign.
When Christ returns at the appointed day, all things will be restored. Meanwhile, the redeemed are no longer hungry but satisfied. No longer guilty but forgiven. No longer confused but trusting. No longer powerless but upheld by God’s living Word. No longer ashamed but honoured as the children of God.
This is the everlasting gospel that will echo through the world until then. God calls the nations to come, to listen, to seek him, to call on him, to return and be satisfied with good. The suffering Servant suffered for our sins and rose again for our justification. The feast is ready, and all things prepared. The covenant of pardon and peace was made in his blood.
God is willing to receive all men. But will they come?
For us who belong to Christ, let us live in the blessings of redemption, and walk in fellowship with the Father and his Son. Feed daily on Christ, listening and obeying His Word. Let us repent and confess and forsake our sin, and return to him, for he will abundantly pardon. Let us trust His infinite wisdom in every mysterious path. Let us stand confidently upon His unfailing promises, rejoicing in his grace, joy and peace.
For we have come to the living Jerusalem, to the One who alone satisfies the thirst of the soul without money and without price. God bless.