The inheritance and promise within Isaiah 55 is for every follower of Christ. Even though I have studied this passage repeatedly, I continue to glean new and fresh insights from this little portion. Isaiah 55 is like seed producing continuing harvest in my life.
There is an old Arab proverb that says,
“Man can count seeds in grape!
Only God can count grapes in seed!”
God uses the seeds of His written word, the bible, to speak directly to us regarding our identity and purpose. These seeds become our personal inheritance to absorb in faith.
Isaiah 55 invites us to come, listen, see, seek, and go.
Come
Invitations welcome us to one-on-one fellowship, business meetings, weddings, home groups, family reunions or larger gatherings; relationships are important. God designed us for relationship with Him and with others. Even introverts, like me, must resist the urge of solitude and embrace community.
“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.”
Isaiah 55:1
The only requirement is thirst! That is a good thing! We don’t need money; the expenses around this invitation have been paid in full.
As a young girl, I would stand on the ridge of a coulee along the Qu’Appelle Valley and call, funneling the sound of my voice with small, cupped hands around my mouth. The echo would resound again and again and again off the valley walls.
I hear God’s echo through the generations, “Come…come…come…come…” My little echo diminished with each repetition, His never does. God calls,
“Come as you are!
The door is open!
Everything is ready just for you!
I’m waiting!
Come quickly and linger long!
Come!”
The ability to come into God’s presence is part of the wonderful inheritance we have through Christ. We are welcome here with Him, our friends are welcome, so is our family, and wonder-upon-wonders, I am too!
Listen
“Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
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.”
Isaiah 55:2-3
God is much more anxious for us to come and listen than we are to respond. Our hesitancy proves our doubt in His good character, His loving nature, and His desire to bless us.
When you stop and think about it, this is an astounding verse. God is giving us the same promises He gave to David. (II Samuel 7, I Chronicles 17, and Psalms 89) That is a lot of inheritance!
Nonetheless, it is part and parcel of the covenant relationship we have with the God of heaven and earth, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
See
“…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.”
Isaiah 55:4-5
God wants us not just to hear, but to grab hold of, this vision He has for us.
God’s faithful love is revealed through His promises, provision, and purposes for our lives. These Davidic promises include:
freedom from enemies and oppression,
generational blessings,
unending love,
bringing blessing to the nations,
authority and power….
We dishonour God by thinking small! His promise to us is international in scope! We each have a part to play in bringing the Good News to all nations.
Because His splendor is within us, it also radiates from us. Endowed “with splendor” may mean promotion and honour. Receive them humbly and graciously.
It is important to recognize every advancement is God’s inheritance for us. Let’s be sure to thank Him when our sphere of influence grows. These opportunities are less a reflection of us than of God’s goodness.
Seek
“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.”
Isaiah 55:6
Today is a good time to respond to God’s invitation to draw near to Him. It is arrogant to think we will always have this opportunity.
A friend of mine has recently accepted God’s, “Come!”
She is perplexed as to why she hesitated so long. What held her back? Ashamed by the weight of personal sin and afraid of being transparent, she had refused His invitation time and time again. Only in desperation and loss of all hope was she willing to say, “Yes!”
Her life has been a progressive journey of freedom ever since, full of excitement, new friendships, and a sense of belonging and value.
She is thankful!
Go
“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.”
Isaiah 55:12
It is easier to go when we know we are being led!
Our lives are not aimless; God is faithfully leading and sending. Even when we are uncertain of our direction, we need not fear. He continues to guide.
In Christ, we not only go, we go in joy!
Good Inheritance
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
God’s thoughts and ways are absolutely brilliant; we have no capacity to comprehend them. One thing is certain; God is good! In responding to His invitation to participate in our inheritance, we come, listen, see, seek, and go, trusting in His excellent design.
Life in Christ is a process of discovering His higher and better purpose. Today as we consider this one little portion of scripture, may we with new awareness go in all He has promised.
In coming to Him, we go with joy!
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