Isa 55:1-2 | KingComments | STEP | After the work of the Servant is accomplished (Isaiah 53), the blessings of the new covenant can come richly to Israel (Isaiah 54). The blessings then flow so abundantly that they go beyond the borders of Israel. For Israel, this day is a day of joy. That is why they must not remain silent (cf. ) and must pass on the blessings. They invite others ( ). The prophet now makes an invitation to come and participate in the spiritual providence that the LORD has made for those who willingly turn away from their own plans and actions in order to listen diligently to His voice. The invitation begins with the exclamation “Ho!” – Hebrew hoy . This expression is usually used for mourning or judgment, but here it is positive and is an exclamation for those who are spiritually distant. In the call in the invitation “come” – Hebrew halach , literally “go” – sounds three times. The first to be called are “every one who thirsts”. This points, as the verses afterward also show, to everyone, both the still scattered Israelites and all nations in the future. The only condition to be allowed to come is to be thirsty. Thirst is the longing for God ( ). In our time it applies to ourselves. To the thirsty sounds the invitation: “Come to the waters.” To which waters? Where should they go? The answer is: to the Rock, that is Christ ( ). Because that the Rock has been smitten ( ), the water flows abundantly and all who are thirsty can go to the Rock to receive water ( ). The second “come” we hear in the invitation to buy and eat, “come, buy and eat”. How to do that? How to obtain salvation? By buying, which means that there is a personal act involved. That does not mean that good works have to be done, because the sequel reads buy “without money and without cost”. However, it is not free, because the price has been paid by Another, namely the Servant of the LORD. It is a price so high, that no one but He could pay it ( ). The third time is “come, buy wine and milk”. What should they buy? Wine and milk. Wine speaks of the joy of salvation. For Israel and the nations in the realm of peace, it is the blessings of the new covenant, including forgiveness of sins and new life. Milk then speaks of spiritual food, which is the Word of God needed by the new life in order to grow ( ). It is clear that it is not literally about water, wine and milk. They are pictures of higher things than natural products. The true food and drink are the flesh and blood of the Lord Jesus He gave on the cross for the life of the world ( ). The LORD offers the water of life for free, without cost ( ). The spiritual meaning of water is mentioned in Isaiah 44, where reference is made to the Holy Spirit ( ; cf. ). Wine has also been mentioned earlier ( ) and is a picture of joy ( ). In the same way we must understand the mention of milk (see the previous paragraph). You can buy “without money and without cost”. It is all Divine grace. From the point of view of the recipient, the possession of spiritual blessings depends only on the sense of need and a willingness to accept them. Buying without money presupposes spiritual bankruptcy. Nothing more is expected of one’s own effort ( ). Israel has invested money and work in idols. Hence the serious appeal expressed at the beginning of the chapter in the exclamation “Ho!” This exclamation is not just an invitation, but sheds light on the state of affairs of those who pursue their own interests instead of listening to the voice of the LORD. The LORD continues His call with the gracious words of . The satisfaction of the soul is obtained through the obedience of faith. If we listen diligently to the voice of the Lord and do His will, we can enjoy true spiritual joy. Often we hesitate to obey Him. We then give a lot of time and energy to things that occupy us but are not food for the soul, which are not the true bread for the heart. What God says here goes beyond meeting our needs. He wants to give us abundant satisfaction. This is “the riches of His grace” ( ). Then He asks His people to turn their ear to Him to listen and come to Him, that their souls may live ( ). Something similar He also says to the church in Laodicea ( ). The call “come” in is the fourth call to come, after the three times in . It is now: “Come to Me.” Now it is clear. The beaten Rock, from which water comes, and the abundant wine and milk, refer to and are available from a Person, a Seller Who sells without money. That Person is the Servant of the LORD, risen from the dead, Whose work is finished, and Who is now the source of all grace, the source of all God’s blessings. Although in these first three verses there is much that can be applied to the gospel, it is primarily a call to those who are spiritually distant. They are souls in need of revival which can only be experienced by returning to the LORD. The LORD connects a promise to the conversion of His people. In human affairs a covenant is made that is ratified by each of the parties. Here the LORD shows that He is free to give the blessings of the covenant to those who come to Him. This can happen because Another, namely the Servant of the LORD, has taken upon Himself the obligations of the covenant. Therefore, this covenant is in reality a promise that will surely be fulfilled (cf. ). “The faithful mercies shown to David” are, according to Acts 13, where this verse is quoted from the Septuagint, “THE HOLY [and] SURE [blessings] OF DAVID” ( ) which are based on the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Christ makes the mercies trustworthy. Here the mercies are the abundant blessings of the new covenant. Paul uses this quotation as the second of three Old Testament quotations that prove that they have been fulfilled in Christ. The first refers to His birth ( ), the second to His resurrection ( ) and the third to His imperishableness ( ). We also see here a reference to God’s faithful mercies regarding His promises to David ( ). The covenant of Moses is no longer mentioned, but the covenant with David. It is as if the LORD wants to point here to the covenant which is based on the work of the Servant, Who is also the Son of David.

‏ Isaiah 55:1-2

Invitation

After the work of the Servant is accomplished (Isaiah 53), the blessings of the new covenant can come richly to Israel (Isaiah 54). The blessings then flow so abundantly that they go beyond the borders of Israel. For Israel, this day is a day of joy. That is why they must not remain silent (cf. 2Kgs 7:9) and must pass on the blessings. They invite others (Isa 55:1).

The prophet now makes an invitation to come and participate in the spiritual providence that the LORD has made for those who willingly turn away from their own plans and actions in order to listen diligently to His voice. The invitation begins with the exclamation “Ho!” – Hebrew hoy. This expression is usually used for mourning or judgment, but here it is positive and is an exclamation for those who are spiritually distant. In the call in Isa 55:1 the invitation “come” – Hebrew halach, literally “go” – sounds three times.

The first to be called are “every one who thirsts”. This points, as the verses afterward also show, to everyone, both the still scattered Israelites and all nations in the future. The only condition to be allowed to come is to be thirsty. Thirst is the longing for God (Psa 42:2a). In our time it applies to ourselves.

To the thirsty sounds the invitation: “Come to the waters.” To which waters? Where should they go? The answer is: to the Rock, that is Christ (1Cor 10:4). Because that the Rock has been smitten (Isa 53:10), the water flows abundantly and all who are thirsty can go to the Rock to receive water (Jn 7:37).

The second “come” we hear in the invitation to buy and eat, “come, buy and eat”. How to do that? How to obtain salvation? By buying, which means that there is a personal act involved. That does not mean that good works have to be done, because the sequel reads buy “without money and without cost”. However, it is not free, because the price has been paid by Another, namely the Servant of the LORD. It is a price so high, that no one but He could pay it (Psa 49:7-8).

The third time is “come, buy wine and milk”. What should they buy? Wine and milk. Wine speaks of the joy of salvation. For Israel and the nations in the realm of peace, it is the blessings of the new covenant, including forgiveness of sins and new life. Milk then speaks of spiritual food, which is the Word of God needed by the new life in order to grow (1Pet 2:2).

It is clear that it is not literally about water, wine and milk. They are pictures of higher things than natural products. The true food and drink are the flesh and blood of the Lord Jesus He gave on the cross for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). The LORD offers the water of life for free, without cost (Rev 22:17b). The spiritual meaning of water is mentioned in Isaiah 44, where reference is made to the Holy Spirit (Isa 44:3; cf. Jn 7:38-39). Wine has also been mentioned earlier (Isa 25:6-7) and is a picture of joy (Psa 104:15). In the same way we must understand the mention of milk (see the previous paragraph).

You can buy “without money and without cost”. It is all Divine grace. From the point of view of the recipient, the possession of spiritual blessings depends only on the sense of need and a willingness to accept them. Buying without money presupposes spiritual bankruptcy. Nothing more is expected of one’s own effort (Rom 11:6). Israel has invested money and work in idols. Hence the serious appeal expressed at the beginning of the chapter in the exclamation “Ho!” This exclamation is not just an invitation, but sheds light on the state of affairs of those who pursue their own interests instead of listening to the voice of the LORD.

The LORD continues His call with the gracious words of Isa 55:2. The satisfaction of the soul is obtained through the obedience of faith. If we listen diligently to the voice of the Lord and do His will, we can enjoy true spiritual joy. Often we hesitate to obey Him. We then give a lot of time and energy to things that occupy us but are not food for the soul, which are not the true bread for the heart.

What God says here goes beyond meeting our needs. He wants to give us abundant satisfaction. This is “the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7). Then He asks His people to turn their ear to Him to listen and come to Him, that their souls may live (Isa 55:3). Something similar He also says to the church in Laodicea (Rev 3:20).

The call “come” in Isa 55:3 is the fourth call to come, after the three times in Isa 55:1. It is now: “Come to Me.” Now it is clear. The beaten Rock, from which water comes, and the abundant wine and milk, refer to and are available from a Person, a Seller Who sells without money. That Person is the Servant of the LORD, risen from the dead, Whose work is finished, and Who is now the source of all grace, the source of all God’s blessings.

Although in these first three verses there is much that can be applied to the gospel, it is primarily a call to those who are spiritually distant. They are souls in need of revival which can only be experienced by returning to the LORD.

The LORD connects a promise to the conversion of His people. In human affairs a covenant is made that is ratified by each of the parties. Here the LORD shows that He is free to give the blessings of the covenant to those who come to Him. This can happen because Another, namely the Servant of the LORD, has taken upon Himself the obligations of the covenant. Therefore, this covenant is in reality a promise that will surely be fulfilled (cf. Gal 3:17-18).

“The faithful mercies shown to David” are, according to Acts 13, where this verse is quoted from the Septuagint, “THE HOLY [and] SURE [blessings] OF DAVID” (Acts 13:34) which are based on the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Christ makes the mercies trustworthy. Here the mercies are the abundant blessings of the new covenant. Paul uses this quotation as the second of three Old Testament quotations that prove that they have been fulfilled in Christ. The first refers to His birth (Acts 13:33), the second to His resurrection (Acts 13:34) and the third to His imperishableness (Acts 13:35).

We also see here a reference to God’s faithful mercies regarding His promises to David (2Sam 7:12-16). The covenant of Moses is no longer mentioned, but the covenant with David. It is as if the LORD wants to point here to the covenant which is based on the work of the Servant, Who is also the Son of David.