Devotional
Commentary on Isaiah 55
Isaiah described
in this panel the Word of God, its importance, its extent, its necessity, its
success, its effectiveness.
Comparing chapter
54 with Revelation on the New Jerusalem event and chapter 55 with the gospel of
John extending the hand of appeal for conversion while there is still time was
the message of J. D. Smart in 1965 on this section. John 3:16 was seen by him as
tied into this bargain sale.
The threefold come
is followed by the threefold listen and there is the threefold guarantee, the
covenant (verse 3c), the king (verse 3d-5b) and the Lord (verse 5c-e) (see J.
Mortyer 1993: 452). Westermann said it reminds him of street-vendors who
urgently wants to sell something (Westermann 1966 page 282). It is as if Isaiah
is imitating an ancient supermarket. Here in the Orient they still scream from
the vegetables, the fish and beef supplies for customers to come and buy.
Verses 1-5 can be seen in that light.
This hostile world
is separated from God “for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My
ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (v. 9a-c). For
this reason, with such a gap between sinful humanity and the Righteous God “My
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, My ways” (v. 8a-b).
Commenting on this
separation as an “abyss” J. D. Smart 1965 220-222 said that “the deadly abyss
between themselves and God that can be bridged only by their responding with
their whole being to God’s offer of forgiveness.”
“It is
across this infinite gulf that the voice of God (6-7) calls to repentance” (J.
Mortyer 1993 page 457).
That is why humans
suffer spiritual thirst and hunger and God says they need to “come to the
waters” (v. 1a) and “come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost”
(v. 1c-d).
M. L. Andreasen in
1929 described this need of water for spiritual thirst as follows: “‘Every one
that thirsteth.’ The condition for receiving the blessings of God is not
riches, for you may come without money. It is not condition, or rank, or
learning. It is simply your need. Are you thirsty? Then come. Thirst is perhaps
the greatest and most compelling of physical desires. A man who is hungry will,
after a while, quietly lie down and die; the thirsty man will spend himself in
mad strivings. His whole nature is burning up. He must have water. This strong
desire is compared to spiritual thirst.“
Ellen White calls
water as symbol for Christ, the Word, emblem of divine grace, spiritual life,
Wine is not alcohol drinks since alcohol or yeast is a symbol of sin in the
Bible. That is why the unleavened bread is important as sacred symbols. In
Isaiah 25 it was already explained that at Persepolis economic texts were found
from the days of Darius the Great and Walther Stolper of the Oriental Institute
who looked at food items in these texts. Wine was a ration provided for horses?
Scholar in the past have indicated that wine can mean: jam, grapejuice, grape
sauce, dried cooked grapes, raison drinks and so forth.
They are spending
money on non-essentials, fashion, cars, digital devices and smartphones, but it
cannot satisfy spiritually.
About useless
spending in our lives Ellen White said: “Spending money uselessly is sin. In
this day when there are people suffering for the necessities of life, when
there is an even greater spiritual need, we must be careful in the expenditure
of every penny. ‘Money is a trust from God. It is not ours to expend for the
gratification of pride or ambition. In the hands of God's children it is food
for the hungry, and clothing for the naked. It is a defense to the oppressed, a
means of health to the sick, a means of preaching the gospel to the poor. You
could bring happiness to many hearts by using wisely the means that is now
spent for show. Consider the life of Christ. Study His character, and be
partakers with Him in His selfdenial.”— Ellen White, The Ministry of Healing,
p. 287.
About hungry that
should eat, Ellen White says: “’Eat ye that which is good.’ God demands that
the appetites be cleansed, and that self-denial be practiced in regard to those
things which are not good. This is a work that will have to be done before His
people can stand before Him a perfected people.”— Ellen White, Testimonies,
Vol. 9, pp. 153, 154.
God wants them to
“listen carefully to Me” the spoken Word (v. 2c). If they listen, they will
“delight yourselves in abundance” (v. 2d). They need to come to God “listen [to
the spoken Word] that you may live” (v. 3b). If they do, the Lord will “make an
everlasting covenant with you” which compares to the faithful mercies shown to
David (v. 3c-d). The one who listens to the Word of God, receives salvation
when he/she inclines the ear, “I have made him[her] a witness to the peoples”
(v. 4a).
About the
everlasting covenant in verse 3 M. L. Andreasen in 1929 in his Sabbath School
Quarterly on Isaiah page 7 summarized with Ellen White: “’An everlasting
covenant.‘ This covenant of grace was first made in Eden. Gen. 3:15. It was
renewed to Abraham. Gen. 22:18; 26:4, 5; 17:7. It was ratified by Christ on the
cross.“ (See Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 370, 371.) ”And "in
the last days of this earth's history, God's covenant with His commandment-keeping
people is to be renewed.“— Ellen White, Prophets and Kings, p. 299.
Global evangelism
is the keyword here. “Behold you will call a nation you do not know and a
nation which knows you not will run to you” (v. 5a-b). This will happen because
of the “Lord your God even the Holy One of [spiritual] Israel” (v. 5c). He “has
glorified you”.
On the matter of
calling of nations (gôy = world outside) in verse 5, M. L. Andreasen indicated
in his 1929 Sabbath School Quarterly on Isaiah page 7: “The thought in this
verse is that Christ shall call nations with whom He had not hitherto made any
covenant, that is, the Gentiles. These would be drawn to Him because God would
glorify His Son. In the death and resurrection of Christ, God did glorify the
Son. John 17:1; Acts 3:13-15.”
Verses 6-7
consists of a three-part call to repentance followed by a three-part
substantiation of the call (I: 8-9; II: 10-11; III: 12-13). All three parts
begins with the Hebrew particle “for”. Each substantiation contains an
illustration drawn from nature (Mortyer 1993 page 456).
While we are this
side of the Latter Rain of Worldwide evangelistic success and before the Time
of Trouble and Second Coming, “seek the Lord while He may be found” (v. 6a).
“Seek is not
in the sense of looking for what is lost but of coming with commitment to one
known to be there” (Mortyer 1993 page 456). “While He is near…implies urgency,
a limited time of opportunity” (ibid).
The wicked should
forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. When the sinner return to
the Lord “He will have compassion on him and to our God [which is Christ the
Advocate, Who is also God, Who’s request on behalf of the sinner’s plea for
forgiveness] for He will abundantly pardon” (v. 7c-f).
“We come to
the Lord as we are, but not to stay as we are” (Dowsett 1987 lecture at Christ
Church, see Mortyer 1993 page 456).
The Word of God is
necessary in all of this because God is on High separated from sin and Christ
is that Word that brings sinful man in touch with a sinless God. The
effectiveness of this Word is described like rain falling from heaven on earth
and making things grow supplying seed and bread to humanity (v. 10) so also the
Word of God that “goes out from My mouth” (v. 11a), shall not return to Me
empty “without accomplishing what I desire” (v. 11c).
God can already
see the success and effectiveness of His Word. It will succeed “and without
succeeding for which I sent it” (v. 11d).
Ellen White said
about this sowing of the seed that will be prosperous in verses 10-11: “’It
shall prosper.‘ ’The work of the sower is a work of faith. The mystery of the
germination and growth of the seed he can not understand; but he has confidence
in the agencies by which God causes vegetation to flourish. He casts away the
seed, expecting to gather it manyfold in an abundant harvest. So parents and
teachers are to labor, expecting a harvest from the seed they sow.‘ Ellen
White, Education,” p. 105, cited by M. L. Andreasen in 1929 in his Sabbath
School Quarterly on Isaiah page 7-8.
Delitzsch agrees
with Ellen White here in thought in Vol. II 1890 page 330 on the confidence in
the agencies by which God causes vegetation to flourish in verses 10-11 when he
said: ““...the proper point of comparison is the energy with which the word is
transformed into an effectively operating power.”
The effectiveness
of verse 10-11 is seen by J. Mortyer 1993 page 458 as follows: “As the rain
furnishes both seed and bread, so the word of God plants seed of repentance in
the heart and feeds the returning sinner with the blessed consequences
repentance produces.”
Then Isaiah opened
the panel of the Resurrection event and says “for you will go out [of the
graves] with joy and be led forth with peace” (v. 12a-b). The mountains and the
hills will echo with the joy of the resurrected remnant (v. 12c). All the trees
of the [after a thousand years] will clap their hands (v. 12d).
We know it is
after the Hell event for the re-creation of this earth and its heaven will only
occur at that time “instead of a thorn bush the cypress will come up” (v. 13a).
Instead of the nettle, the myrtle.
“Paradise
Regained” said J. Mortyer in 1993 page 458 on verses 12-13.
This new earth and
new heavens will be “a memorial to the Lord” and it will be an “everlasting
sign which will not be cut off” (v. 13d). All the unfallen worlds will know
this new earth and its inhabitants forever since this great history included
the Son of God, the Creator, in its drama.
The set-up of a
memorial by the Lord is described as follows by J. D. Smart in 1965 page 228:
“The transformed earth would be a memorial of God’s victory …forever a sign of
the power of the living God…a transformed earth, a transformed community, a
transformed humanity….” (cited from Mortyer 1993 page 458).
While Adventists
stop with a high note here, the preterist S. R. Driver 1893 page 157 is still
sitting in the Babylonian exile with Isaiah’s message in his view addressed to
their joy of return.
Two views, two
ways. It reminds me of Raphael’s painting of “The School of Athens” between
1509-1511, with Plato on the viewer’s left and Aristotle (his younger student)
on the viewer’s right. Both in the center of the picture with their students
and followers spread out on each side. Plato points with his finger to heaven
and Aristotle is pointing with his hand down. Heaven is up there and that is
where reality is, thus Plato. No, says Aristotle, heaven is down here and that
is where reality is, thus: let us eat, drink and be happy, for tomorrow we may
die.” Ellen White, Andreasen and other Adventists are standing on Plato’s side
on this chapter but S. R. Driver et al. is standing on Aristotle’s side.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_School_of_Athens.
Dear God
Thanks for the
intercession of the living Word of God on our behalf. Gratitude to You for
giving us the Word of God on paper and in Text to supply us with the conceptual
Image of Your Son and our Savior. Amen.