An Invitation to the LORD’s Banquet (55:1-2)
God used food imagery to depict His mercy. Although the people figuratively spent their money on things that did not nourish or satisfy, there was another option. God offered them water, wine, milk, and food that would cost them nothing. These important items were staples in the ancient Near East, so God made reference to them in order to help His hearers understand that He desired to give them free mercy in place of the misery that was the result of their rebellion against the Him. The Lord declared that His gift of spiritual nourishment was available to all who desired to have their thirst quenched.
Listen to the LORD (55:3-5)
In order to enjoy the Lord’s mercy, the Israelites were directed to obey Him. This obedience would result in the preservation of their lives as well as participation in an everlasting covenant according to the faithful mercies shown to David (55:3b). As a result of their faithfulness, the covenant nation would become a witness to all of the peoples of the earth. Paul Hanson wisely noted that “The connection with the Servant Song is evident here, for the covenant people ‘shall call nations that you do not know’ (55:5a).”[1] In other words, Israel’s submission to God would be a testimony to all other people groups. Gentiles who sought out the Lord would participate in His offer of mercy in the same capacity as Abraham’s flesh and blood descendants.
Seek the Lord (55:6-7)
Isaiah calls His listeners to seek the Lord while He may be found because His offer of forgiveness will not last forever. They must acknowledge the shamefulness of their sin, and this recognition will prompt them to forsake not only their evil ways, but also the unclean thoughts of which no one else is aware. Once this rejection of wickedness occurs and the people return to the Lord, He promises to show compassion and abundantly pardon those who are truly repentant of their rebellious ways.
The Loftiness of God’s Thoughts (55:8-9)
God reminds His hearers that He does not think as humans think, nor are His ways like those of mortals. Rather, His ways are so much higher than ours that the only comparison between the two is the loftiness of the heavens in relation to the earth. Just as the sky towers over the land, God’s ways are higher than those of mankind.[2]
An Illustration of Rain and Snow (55:10)
In order to demonstrate the highness of His ways, God developed an extended illustration that focuses on the usefulness of rain and snow. Both forms of precipitation descend from the heavens and are essential to the continuance of life. John N. Oswalt explained the significance of this illustration to Isaiah’s original hearers:
In the ancient Near East rain spelled the difference between life and death. If the rains came at the appropriate times one could hope for good crops, which means enough food (bread) for the coming year, and, of at least equal importance, seed for the following year’s crop. If the rains did not come, not only was the crop lost but also the seed, and famine stared one in the face. In a powerful comparison, Isaiah says that God’s word is just like the rain. In particular, he compares the effectiveness of the two. Each one achieves the purposes of blessing and life-giving for which it was intended.[3]
In other words, the Lord sends His rain and snow to provide sustenance, and this liquid nourishment perfectly accomplishes its purpose.
An important observation must be made about the effectiveness of rain and snow. Heavenly precipitation does not cause every single seed in the ground to sprout or every blade of grass to stretch skyward. The addition of water does not guarantee the growth of any individual plant, but this fact does not diminish or negate the effectiveness of the life-giving properties of water. One of the main purposes of rain and snow is to irrigate the ground and cause crops to grow, and this objective is accomplished every time that God causes the clouds to pour their contents on the earth.
A New Testament analogue of this principle appears in Jesus’ parable of the sower. In Mark 4:3-8, the sower’s seed fell upon four types of ground: the hard ground beside the road, the rocky soil, among the thorns, and fertile soil. Although every seed was identical, only the seeds that fell on the good ground sprouted. For this reason, the sown seed accomplishes the sower’s purpose even though not every individual seed develops and produces a crop. Interestingly, the seed in this parable is an illustration of God’s Word (cf. Mark 4:14) like the rain and the snow of Isaiah 55:10.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament, therefore, demonstrate that the distribution of God’s Word is not a guarantee that every person who hears it will respond favorably. Those who share the gospel should not expect every hearer to forsake sin and trust in the resurrected Lord. Furthermore, Isaiah 55:11 is not the biblical equivalent of a blank check from God that guarantees the claimant anything that his or her heart desires. What, then, is the biblical meaning of Isaiah 55:11? We will consider this question tomorrow.
[1] Paul D. Hanson, Isaiah 40-66, in Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, ed. James Luther (Louisville: John Knox, 1995), 179.
[2] J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Dowers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993), 457.
[3] John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40-66 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 446.
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