Ho, every one that thirsteth

I was searching for a particular verse and found it in Isaiah 55. I read the entire chapter. What a blessed chapter! I have been thinking about the whole chapter and want to talk about ALL of it, but decided to simply offer the chapter (arranged as Hebrew poetry, like Isaiah wrote it) with a few notes.

1  Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, 
and he that hath no money, come ye, buy, and eat; 
yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? 
and your labour for that which satisfieth not? 
hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, 
and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
I love the Ho, every one that thirsteth! I can see Isaiah standing in the public square and earnestly calling out, Ho, every one that thirsteth, come...
How this speaks to our society – we pursue all these things and they don’t satisfy. But the Lord says, hearken unto me and be satisfied.
And, hearken is one of the most powerful words in the Old Testament. It means to listen so as to hear and obey. “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

3  Incline your ear, and come unto me: 
hear, and your soul shall live; 
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, 
even the sure mercies of David.
4  Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, 
a leader and commander to the people.
5  Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, 
and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee 
because of the LORD thy God, 
and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
The invitation continues - “your soul shall” live if you: incline your ear, come unto me, and hear (same word as hearken).
everlasting covenant / sure mercies of David – this is the Messiah. You cannot be satisfied without Jesus.
verse 5 is the church; I love it when I am in the Bible!

6  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, 
call ye upon him while he is near:
7  Let the wicked forsake his way, 
and the unrighteous man his thoughts: 
and let him return unto the LORD, 
and he will have mercy upon him; 
and to our God, 
for he will abundantly pardon.
The invitation is repeated for the third time. The call is for a thorough repentance. The promise is abundant pardon, but without this repentance there is no forgiveness. Seek the Lord while he may be found. When can the Lord be found? “behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” No wonder Isaiah is sometimes called the fifth Gospel!

8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 
neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 
so are my ways higher than your ways, 
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, 
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, 
and maketh it bring forth and bud, 
that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: 
it shall not return unto me void, 
but it shall accomplish that which I please, 
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
This passage has a double significance. We must forsake our thoughts and ways because they do not agree with God’s. But then this morphs into assurance – “I said I will pardon you and I will most certainly do it.” You can bet your life on God’s Word!

12  For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: 
the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, 
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13  Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, 
and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: 
and it shall be to the LORD for a name, 
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Consider the things God has promised those who hearken to him: your soul will delight itself in fatness; your soul shall live; he will abundantly pardon. Now he speaks of the joy and fruitfulness of those who hearken to the Lord, who seek Him, who forsaking their way return unto the Lord: ye shall go out with joy…
And another note of assurance – it shall be to the Lord for a name. His reputation is on the line, he will certainly do this! Amen!
I tell you, I’m hungry for my soul to delight in fatness; I want my soul to live; I need abundant pardon. You may not be surprised to learn that I can sing v 12; but I want to be able to live it, not just sing it.

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We used to also sing a hymn based on this chapter, Ho, Every One That Is Thirsty!