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What meaning does Isaiah 55 have for us today?
55 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."
Isaiah 55 is perhaps the most beautiful expression to be found anywhere of the divine offer of free mercy to fallen mankind.
Here, in lofty poetic imagery, Isaiah describes the fullness, freeness, and excellence of God's invitation. The lesson to be learned from Isaiah 55 is that everyone that is thirsty — men and women, young and old, sinners or backsliders, and people from nations great or small — is invited to come and receive the blessedness of God's mercy and abundant pardon. [ Can people "lose" their salvation? ]
It is indeed appropriate that Isaiah 55 is included in the "Classic Devotional Passages" series of the Enduring Word Bible study lessons.
Down across the centuries, Isaiah's ringing cry comes today to each and every one of the earth's more than 7 billion inhabitants. Isaiah's plea for everyone to share personally in the everlasting covenant needs to be heard today more than ever. Our world needs to hear and heed Isaiah's call: "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord."
What a thrilling thing it is to share with others who have responded to this invitation to everyone who is thirsty.
In the early part of the twentieth century, an Italian emigrated to the U.S. from his home near Naples. He dreamed of getting rich in America. Well, years passed, and he didn't become rich. But someone pointed him to where he could eat and drink without money and without price. And that Italian responded by forsaking his unrighteousness and turning to embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior.
In a letter back to his sister, Vincenza, he wrote a glowing testimony of his conversion. It would have been natural for her to respond like many nominal Italian Christians do to that kind of testimony: "I think you're on the right track. But I was born into this religion (Roman Catholicism), and it's too late for me to change now."
Tragically, though Italy is known as the home of Christianity's largest denomination, that country is steeped in spiritual darkness. For far too many Italians, religiosity is simply part of their cultural heritage, and with that comes the feeling that the religious traditions that have been handed down in their family must not be exchanged for anything else. So, the rewal message of Isaiah 55 goes either unheard or ignored.
Vincenza could easily have responded in that vein. But alone in her home, the Holy Spirit began to deal with this woman. She began to sense how thirsty she really was, and, on her knees, she responded to God's invitation. When I met her at 80 years of age, Vincenza Granese was one of the spiritual pillars of the Florence Church of the Nazarene.
It happened in a different way with Piero Barbieri. While in prison in Florence, Piero began to sense this thirst while reading a leaflet about the gospel. It had been put in the mailbox of his home by a Swiss missionary who was pastoring the Florence Church of the Nazarene. Piero's wife then took the gospel leaflet to him during one of her visits to the prison.
Piero sent for the pastor, Fritz Liechti, and with his help, prayed through to victory. Piero became part of the Florence Church of the Nazarene, totally "rehabilitated" at no expense to the state by the Grace of God!
Our own stories of how we responded to this great invitation may be more or less dramatic than those of Piero and Vincenza. But the infinite blessings which we have received are the same. "Listen, listen to me . . . and you will delight in the richest of fare."
-- Howard Culbertson,
I wrote this devotional blog while Barbara and I were serving as missionaries in Italy. It was published in Standard, a Faith Connections take-home curriculum piece for adult Sunday school classes produced by The Foundry.
"God's love for humanity and theme of redemption can be seen from Genesis to Revelation. So, we must be faithful and consistent in carrying out the Great Commission." -- Theresa Brown, Northwest Nazarene University student
Isaiah 55:1-3 has an invitation and a promise from the Lord. It urges all who are thirsty to come and receive freely the waters of life. It declares that true satisfaction and fulfillment can be found in God. The three verses exhort people to forsake their futile pursuits. Come to the Lord, they say. It is He who offers abundant and everlasting sustenance.
The passage speaks of a covenant of mercy and love. It assures people that God's ways are higher than human ways and that His thoughts are beyond comprehension. In short, the opening verses of Isaiah 55 carry a message of hope and redemption. They invite us to partake in the richness of God's grace and the everlasting covenant that He offers to those who become His people.
I - Inspired by God to deliver messages of warning and hope.
S - Spoke of the coming Messiah and the salvation of God's people.
A - Announced God's judgment on sinful nations and His promise of restoration.
I - Illustrated God's holiness and the need for repentance.
A - Assured the people of God's everlasting covenant and love.
H - Heralded the prophecy of the suffering servant, fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
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