Isaiah 55a – Come, Buy, and Eat!

A Translation and Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church, 27 January 2008

Translation

1. Hey, all who thirst,

step-forward to the waters

 - and the ones who have no silver.

Step-forward, buy, and eat,

and step-forward, buy wine and milk without silver and without price!

2. To what [purpose] do y’all weigh out

silver with non-bread, and

your labor with dissatisfaction?

Listen carefully to me

and eat the good,

and let your soul delight itself in the richness.

3. Incline your ear and step-forward to me,

listen

and let your soul live,

and let me cut an everlasting covenant for y’all, the faithful lovingkindnesses of David.

4. Look, I gave him to be a witness to peoples,

a foreman and the commander for peoples.

5. Look, a nation you do not know, you will call,

and nations that did not know you, will run

to you,                         because of Jehovah your God

and to the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.

6. Y’all seek Jehovah while He is to be found,

call Him while He is to be near.

7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and a man of iniquity his thoughts, and let him turn

to Jehovah and He will have compassion on him,

and to our God, for He will be great to pardon.

8. For y’all’s thoughts are not my thoughts, and my way is not y’all’s way, declares Jehovah.

9. As the heavens are exalted from the earth,

thus my ways are exalted from y’all’s ways, and my thoughts from y’all’s thoughts.

10. For as the rain and the snow which come down from the heavens and do not return there except it

            saturate the earth

and make her give birth

and make her sprout

and it give seed to the sower and bread to the eater

11. thus will be my word which goes out from my mouth – It will not return to me empty except

            it has done that which I pleased

and made progress toward what I sent it for.

12. For in joy y’all will go out, and in peace y’all will be lead forth.

The mountains and the hills will break forth into song before your faces,

and all the trees of the field will clap the hand.

13. Instead of the thorn, a cypress will grow up;

instead of the nettle, a myrtle will grow up,

and it will be for Jehovah

for a name, for an everlasting sign;

it will not be cut off.

Introduction

Yesterday, The Tentmaker Project Board had their annual meeting, and we used Skype software to hold the meeting as a teleconference between board members in Illinois, Florida, Georgia, and me in Kansas. As I was familiarizing myself with Skype, I noticed that many people were advertising public phone conversations on Skype.

Many of them were advertising forums for learning English conversationally:

· Indian Girls and Boys, Talk In English Plz

· Language exchange and make friends around the world

· Nice English Talk

· Good luck to you… Shoot the Breeze in English

· or Bangladeshi? Are you intersted to learn Bengali Language?

Some were obviously invitations, but not clear what they were invitations to:

· Fun

· All Come Here!

· Come in Take a Seat Talk to Me

Others were invitations from the strange woman (or strange man) of Proverbs:

· Lonely Girls Online

· Visit the The ultimate WORLDWIDE live video chat site

· Men looking for men . . . .Visit the SkypeCast related website to meet someone in your city. . .

No way, their door leads to death!

Some were get-rich-quick business ventures, also best avoided:

· Make Money Without Investing Money! NO RISKS AT ALL! IMPORTANT First you have to visit the related link of this webcast for the basic informations

There was even a church service online – dial-in worship on Skype!

Some of them had more curious titles, such as:

· Bandits place fed up with skypecasts run by controll freaks

· When the International politics are resolved then the monster will be gone too. Join this Skypecast!

· and my favorite: FREEZING FISH TO -60 DEGREES

The Hook

God Himself puts out an invitation in Isaiah 55. “Hey everyone, come, get some free food!”

a) This call is similar to others throughout scripture:

• Psalm 34:8-9  Taste and see that Jehovah is good: Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  9 Fear Jehovah, saints of His; for there is no want to them that fear Him.
• Proverbs 9:1-5  Wisdom has built her house… She cries out upon the highest places of the city:  4  Whoever is simple, let him turn in here: As for him that is void of understanding, she says to him,  5  Come, eat of my bread, And drink of the wine which I have mixed.
• Matthew 5:6  Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
• John 4:10  “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is talking to you… you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water.”
• John 7:37-39  Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.  38  He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water  39 (speaking of the Holy Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive...)
• Revelation 3:18  “…buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe thyself… and eye-salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see… 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come... And he that is thirsty, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely.

b) This invitation builds on the previous chapters,

• the provision of salvation through the messiah’s substitionary atonement in chapter 53
• the church’s preparation for taking in new people who are saved in chapter 54
• now in chapter 55 – the actual invitation to the world to receive that salvation and a place in the church that has been prepared.
• In Chapter 54, all the “you” pronouns were singular feminine, addressed to Zion/the church to prepare for the influx, In chapter 55, all the “you” pronouns are masculine plural (except for v. 5, which we’ll get to later), addressing an invitation to all the nations.

c) What does it mean?

• Most Christian commentators I read spoke of wine symbolizing joy and milk symbolizing nourishment.
• But the Jewish commentators I read saw these drinks as symbolic of scripture, and I’m inclined to agree with them and apply this passage as a call to learn the Bible:
• In other places, the Bible relates “milk” and “water” to the Word of God: Deuteronomy 8:3 And He humbled you, and allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did your fathers know; that He might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Jehovah...
• 1 Peter 1:24-2:3  …The grass withers, and the flower falls,  25  but the word of the Lord abides forever. And this is the word of good news which was preached unto you.  2:1  Therefore… 2  as newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation;  3  if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious:
• Also, the commands in vs. 2-3 to “listen diligently,” “incline your ear,” and “hear” appear to be parallel to the commands in v.1 to “step up” to the table and “buy” and “eat.”

d) Part of the hook is to make you dissatisfied with what you currently have so that you will want what is for sale (v.2):

• Why do you suppose Aldi and Dillons and Ray’s Apple Market spend thousands and thousands of dollars to print up full-color fliers and stuff them into every mailbox in town? It’s because they know that the more you look at what you don’t have the more you’ll want to buy it from them.
• v.2 paints the picture of an old-fashioned transaction where the two people would agree on a certain weight of silver in payment for a product, then the seller would put a weight of that amount on one side of the balance scale, and the buyer would place silver pieces on the other side of the balance scale until it balanced out, and then that would be the payment.
• Interestingly enough, the last time this verb for payment in v.2 was used was in chapter 46, where a person weighed out silver to make an idol.
• Isaiah points out in v.2 that the stuff they’re buying is “non-bread” it is “dissatisfaction.”
• Ecclesiastes 6:7  All a man's labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied.
• ILLUSTRATION: I remember buying a new stereo for my car a few years ago. I love listening to music when I drive, but I didn’t have a tape player in the one car I usually drive for work, so this new stereo had a tape player, and I was so excited to be able to listen to tapes while driving! After spending almost an entire day trying to figure out how to wire the thing into the dashboard, I finally got it working. Then a few weeks later, one of the speakers went out on me. After spending another day piddling with the new stereo, I diagnosed the problem as a faulty circuit in the stereo. No problem, I thought, I’ll just return the unit for a new one. That’s when I read the warranty. It was only a one month warranty, and it had been just over a month. I bet they designed it to break just after a month. I was one dissatisfied customer then, but there was nothing I could do about it.
• So many stores advertise “total satisfaction or your money back” – I don’t see how they survive. The only thing that keeps me from cashing in on every item I buy is the sheer amount of time it would take for me to mail all the products back and wait on hold with their customer rep’s on the phone to get my refunds!
• We will never be satisfied with material things. They are not capable of satisfying us.
• Cravings for food and affection are intrusions of spiritual needs into your physical dimension, and will not be satisfied by anything that is for sale in any store. When you experience that strong desire, please understand that it is not because you have a basic need for that thing, it is because something in the spiritual realm is showing up in your physical world and calling for attention. If you simply answer that physical impulse, you will continue to starve the real spiritual source of that craving and it will keep coming back with a vengeance. When your body says, “I’ve gotta have…” Stop and listen diligently to what God can do to satisfy you, because it indicates you have not drunk deeply enough of His Spirit, you have not eaten enough of His word, you have not listened enough to Him.

e) God Promises satisfaction:

• 23:17 At the end of seventy years, Jehovah will visit Tyre… 18 Yet her merchandise and her wage will be holiness to Jehovah. It …will be for those who sit toward the face of Jehovah, for eating to satisfaction and for honorable clothing.
• What is “the good” that we are supposed to eat?
• The last time Isaiah used that word was in 52:7 speaking of the Good News of peace, salvation, and the kingdom of God: “How fitting are the feet of an announcer upon the mountains, causing peace to be heard, announcing goodness, causing salvation to be heard, saying to Zion, your God reigns!”
• And before that, in 39:8, it is also the Word of God: “The word of Jehovah… is good.”
• Isaiah 58:14  “Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
• Leviticus 18:5  …therefore keep my statutes, and my ordinances; which if a man do, he shall live in them...
• Psalm 16:11  You will show me the path of life: In your presence is fulness of joy! In your right hand there are pleasures for ever.
• It’s free for the taking. No money needed. However, chapter 53 tells us it was not actually free. It was purchased at great cost to Jesus – His lifeblood!
• “If you will listen, you will live (have everlasting life) and God will make a covenant with you that will last forever,” says v.3. This covenant is the same one He promised and delivered to David.

The Testimonial - David (v.3b-5)

Every good sales presentation starts with the salesman’s hook, but then the salesman steps back and lets other satisfied customers give testimonials to back up his claims.

· My head went bald, but that miracle cream made my hair grow back!

· I lost 100 pounds on the powder starvation diet, and you can too!

God brings in a witness here too: v.3b “the faithful lovingkindnesses of David 4. Look, I gave him to be a witness to peoples…”

1. There are three levels at which we can understand this passage.
First is to understand that King David, son of Jesse is the basis:

• A promise was made to David: 2 Samuel 7:8-16  …say unto my servant David, Thus says Jehovah of hosts, “I took you from the sheep-pen, from following the sheep, that you should be foreman/leader [nagid] over my people, over Israel… 12b I will set up your seed after you… and I will establish His kingdom.  13  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom for ever…15  and my lovingkindness will not depart from Him...  16  And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever...”

• David was a witness to God’s faithfulness: A number of his writings have already been cited:
• Psalm 34:8-9  Taste and see that Jehovah is good: Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.  9 Fear Jehovah, saints of His; for there is no want to them that fear Him.
• Psalm 16:11  You will show me the path of life: In your presence is fulness of joy! In your right hand there are pleasures for ever.
• Verse five flashes back to Psalm 18, where the promise was first fulfilled as David’s military conquests brought foreigners cringing before his feet:
• Psalm 18:43-47  You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations: A people whom I have not known shall serve me.  44  As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me; The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me… 46  Jehovah lives; and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation,  47  Even the God that executes vengeance for me, And subdues peoples under me.
• And David preached the very message we see in verse 6:
• Psalm 32:6 “let every one that is godly pray unto [God] in a time when [He] may be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him.”
• However, the fulfillment didn’t stop with David because David died and there is no king on the throne of the nation of Israel anymore. David was a type of the One to come:

2. The fulfillment continues in Jesus Christ:

• Jesus fulfills the promise made to David to reign forever-
• In fact, some prophecies written after David was long dead but before the incarnation of Jesus, call the Messiah to come by the name of David:

• Ezekiel 37:23-26  “…I will save them out of all their dwelling-places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.  24  And my servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd… and David my servant shall be their prince for ever.  26  Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
• Ezekiel 34:24-25  And I, Jehovah, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Jehovah, have spoken it.  25  And I will make with them a covenant of peace...
• Jeremiah 30:9  they shall serve Jehovah their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
• Hosea 3:5  afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and shall come with fear unto Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter days.
• Acts 13:32-34  Paul said, “we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers,  33  that God has fulfilled the same unto our children, in that He raised up Jesus... 34 And as concerning that He raised Him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, He hath spoken to this effect, “I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.” (quoting Isaiah 55:3!)
• The Bible also describes Jesus as a witness:
• John 18:37  Jesus answered, “…to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice.”
• Revelation 1:5  Jesus Christ…is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth – this word “ruler” is the same word from the Greek translation of Isaiah 55:5
• Jesus was also to be a leader/foreman and commander
• Daniel 9:25  Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the foreman/leader [nagid], shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks…
• Acts 3:13-15  The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Servant Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.  14  But ye denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you,  15  and killed the Prince/chief/leader [arch-agw] of life; whom God raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
• Hebrews 2:8-10  [God] subjected all things unto [Jesus], He left nothing that is not subject to Him, though now we do not yet see all things subjected to Him.  9  But we saw Him who had been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man.  10  For it became Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author/founder/captain/leader [arch-agw] of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
• Jesus was also a commander, who gave us the great commission to go into all the world making disciples, baptizing and teaching all that He had commanded. (Matt. 28:20)
• In Jesus there is also the fulfillment of the nations coming to God:
• The gentiles who did not know Jesus as their king will come to know Him as such, as the Gospel goes out into all the world.
• John 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself.
• Isaiah 60:1-3  Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon you.  2  For, behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.  3  And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
• Ephesians 2:11-13  …remember, that once you Gentiles… were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  13  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are brought near in the blood of Christ.
• Jesus was Glorified by the Father
• Isa. 49:3 Jehovah called me from the womb, from the body of my mother He caused my name to be remembered. 2. He positioned my mouth like a sharp sword… 3. And He said to me, “You are my servant… you in whom I will glorify myself.”
• John 17:1-2  “…Father, the hour is come; glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you:  2  even as you gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all you have given Him, He should give eternal life.”
• Acts 3:13  The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus...
• Jesus preached the message of verses 5-6:
• Mark 1:14-15  “…Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,  15  and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near: repent, and believe in the gospel.”

3. The Fulfillment continues in the presence of the church as well!

• The same promises are for us too:
• Acts 2:38-39  And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  39  For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.
• We are also witnesses to God’s faithful lovingkindness
• Isa 43:10 Y’all are my witnesses, declared Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe in me and understand that I am He. Before my face a god was not formed; behind me it won’t be either! 11. I, I am Jehovah, and besides me there is no savior. 12. I myself explained and saved and caused to hear, and there was not a stranger with you. Now y’all are my witness, declares Jehovah, and I am God. (cf Isa 44:8 …y’all are my witnesses…)
• Acts 1:8  And you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you: and you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
• We also are to preach the message and call the nations to faith and repentance!
• We just saw in the last chapter the message to the church: 54:1 “Sing, barren one… 2. Enlarge… your tent… 3. For right and left you will burst forth, and your seed will take over the nations! …”
• Jesus commanded us in Mark 16:15-16  “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.  16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.”
• Paul preached it in Athens - Acts 17:26-27 “[God] made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation;  27  that they should seek God, if perhaps they might feel after Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us:”
• 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21  For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.  6:1  Working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  2  For He says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
• We should even remind our friends at church! Hebrews 3:12-13  Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God:  13  but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called today; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin:

The Price (v.6-7)

a) There has to be a response to the invitation; the sale has to be closed.

• ILLUSTRATION: One of the hardest things I had to get used to when raising financial support for mission agencies was popping the question, “So, Mr. Smith, would you prayerfully consider giving a million dollars a month to this strategic ministry?” It’s at that point you’re supposed to stop talking and look the prospect in the eye and just wait until he answers.

b) God calls for a response too:

• The chapter opens in verse 1 with commands:
• Come (literally “walk” – get going, move in my direction, step right up!)
• “Buy and eat”  - the root of the word “buy” here is the word for “grain” so it has the connotation of purchasing food. “Acquire and eat my food,” says God.
• These are physical representations of a heart attitude described in v.6 and 7:
• “Seek/pursue” Jehovah while He is to be found/Call Him while He is to be near
• How do you seek Him? David and Asaph wrote up a list in 1 Chronicles 16:8-35:
  “Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon His name; Make known his doings among the peoples.  9  …sing praises unto Him; Talk of all His marvellous works.  10 …Let the heart of them rejoice that seek Jehovah.  11  Seek ye Jehovah and His strength; Seek His face evermore.  12  Remember His marvellous works that He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth...  15  Remember His covenant for ever… 16  The covenant which He made with Abraham…  24  Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples.  25  For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods...  28  Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength;  29  Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto His name: Bring an offering, and come before Him: Worship Jehovah in holy array...  34  Give thanks unto Jehovah; for He is good...  35  And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation…”

c) That response also includes repentance: Forsake your wicked way and your thoughts of iniquity

• It’s not just outward acts that have to be turned away from, it’s also our “thoughts.”
• Proverbs 23:7  As [a man] thinks within himself, so is he:
• In Mark 7:21-23 Jesus said, “from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,  22  covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness:  23  all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man.
•  “It’s easy to quit smoking; I’ve done it hundreds of times!”
  Problem is the smoker didn’t forsake the thought; she left the door open rather than sealing it shut. We must cut off even considering whatever tempts us, so that it’s no longer an option. That’s repentance.
• “Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.” (WSC#87)

d) That response is time-sensitive – a limited-time offer:

• Previous use of the word “near” Isa. 51: 5. “My righteousness is near, my salvation has gone out, and my arm will judge peoples. For me the coastlands eagerly wait, and for my arm they hope.”
• Next use of the word “near” Isaiah 56:1  Thus says Jehovah, “Keep justice, and do righteousness; for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.” Speaking of the coming of Jesus.
• Psalm 145:18-20 “The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.  19  He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.  20  The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.”
• John 12:35-36  So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer… 36  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light…"
• The time in which He may be found is any time from the creation of man until the second coming of Christ. When He comes to judge the earth, it will too late to seek Him anymore.
• There is a time I know not when, A place I know not where,
  That marks the destiny of men To heaven or despair.
  There is a line by us unseen That crosses every path,
  The hidden boundary between God's patience and His wrath.
  To cross that limit is to die, To die as if by stealth.
  It may not pale the beaming eye, Nor quench the glowing health.
  But on that forehead God has set indelibly a mark
  By man unseen, for man as yet Is blind and in the dark.
  He feels, he says, that all is well. His every fear is calmed.
  He lives, he dies, he wakes in hell, Not only doomed but damned.
  O, where is that mysterious line By which each path is crossed,
  Beyond which God Himself has sworn That he who goes is lost?
  How long may man go on in sin? How long will God forbear?
  Where does hope end and where begin The confines of despair?
  One answer from the sky is sent, Ye who from God depart.
  While it is called today repent And harden not your heart.
  ~Will L. Thompson? – popularized by Jack Hyles’ evangelistic sermon entitled “Russian Roulette”

Nate Wilson’s website – Isaiah Sermon Expositions

Christ the Redeemer Church website - Sermons