Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
ISAIAH 55
Invitation to the Thirsty
1 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
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 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in 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.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
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Application Notes
55:1-6 Food costs money, lasts only a short time, and meets only physical needs. But God offers us free nourishment that feeds our souls. How do we get it? We come to him (55:1), listen to him (55:2), seek him, and call on him (55:6). God offers salvation freely, but to nourish our souls we must eagerly receive it. We will starve spiritually without this food as surely as we will starve physically without our daily bread.
55:1 The theme of coming to the Lord if you are thirsty runs throughout the Bible. The Lord gave water to the Israelites when they were walking through the desert to Mount Sinai (Exodus 17:1-6). The same offer is part of Jesus' discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:13-14). Jesus repeats the offer to the crowds in Jerusalem (John 7:37-38). Later, John records it at the final stage of his revelation (Revelation 22:17). God wants us to come to him so his Spirit can satisfy us.
55:3 God's covenant with David promised a permanent homeland for the Israelites, no threat from pagan nations, and no wars (2 Samuel 7:10-11). But the Israelites did not fulfill their part of the covenant to obey God and stay away from idols. Even so, God was ready to renew his covenant again. He is a forgiving God!
55:6 Isaiah tells us to call on the Lord while he is near. God will never move away from us, but we often move far from him or erect barriers of sin between ourselves and him. Don't wait until you have drifted far away from God to seek him. Later in life, turning to him may be far more difficult. Or God may come to judge the earth before you decide to turn to him. Accept God's generous forgiveness now, while you can, before it is too late.
55:8-9 The people of Israel were foolish to act as if they knew what God was thinking and planning. His knowledge and wisdom are far greater than any human's. We are foolish to try to fit God into our mold-to make his plans and purposes conform to ours. Instead, we must strive to fit into his plans.
55:11 Isaiah affirms that God's prophecies will be fulfilled and that his word will always be fruitful. We can count on that promise every time we read Scripture, truly desiring to be in God's presence and to listen to him. If you are just starting to read the Bible, (1) set aside at least 15 minutes alone in a quiet place each day; (2) pray for God to help you understand what you read; and (3) ask God to make his Word come alive for you.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)