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!
Isaiah 55 opens with a public cry, the kind a street trader uses to stop passers-by — except that here nothing is for sale. Three questions press on the reader: who may come, what is on offer, and how anyone with no money can buy.
Isaiah 55 does not stand alone. It is the third step in a sequence.
Isaiah 53 predicts the atoning work of Christ; Isaiah 54, the resulting blessing of Israel; Isaiah 55, grace flowing out to the Gentiles.
The word "everyone" is not decoration. Once God shows mercy to Israel, nothing holds that mercy back from anyone else.
If God, in the restoration of Israel, acts "with great mercies" as foretold in the previous chapter (verse 7), what is to hinder the same grace flowing out to a needy and sinful world? So in chapter 55 we have the invitation of free grace proclaimed to "everyone" — Jew and Gentile alike.
Many readers stumble here, wondering whether their longing is deep enough to count. That worry misreads the invitation.
Thirst is a craving that only the right drink can satisfy. The thirst of an anxious soul is really for God and His Christ, though the person could probably not put it in those words. The point is not the measure of your anxiety, but the fact of your being "thirsty" or willing at all. If so, hear the word of the Lord: "To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment… Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price" (Rev. 21:6; 22:17). What lovely words! "I will give… without payment." That is God's side. "Let him take… without price." That is your side. God gives; all you have to do is take what He gives.
Two reasons stand behind "without money" — one on God's side, one on ours. Both rule out payment.
Man is needy, and admits it, yet imagines he must bring God something in return before he can get what he needs. If you, my reader, belong to this mistaken group, may God open your eyes to see His way of salvation. His grace provides it, not your works of any kind. There are two good reasons for this. First, God is too rich to sell salvation; and second, man is too poor to buy it. So you must get it as a gift, if you are to get it at all.
If nothing is paid, the command to buy seems strange. It is chosen for what buying implies about the buyer.
Why "buy"? Because it assumes a person is in earnest. When someone goes into a shop to "buy" something, his very presence there shows he really wanted it. Otherwise he would not have taken the trouble to walk in. Buying implies direct dealing between two parties. This is exactly what God wants. He wishes you brought into His own presence in real desire to have salvation — the water of life — Christ. You come. What then? You find it is all a gift.
"Without price" does not mean the blessing was cheap. It means the bill went elsewhere.
If someone owns his poverty as a bankrupt sinner, and comes to Christ in true soul thirst and need, he finds he can buy divine righteousness without money or price. The reason is that the Saviour paid the great price of it in full at Calvary.
The verse names wine and milk. Each meets a different need in the soul.
In Scripture wine speaks of joy and gladness. Here God invites the poor to buy the wine that makes glad the heart of God and man. But how can we buy if we have no money? All that God asks from us is faith in Himself, and in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Coming to Him in faith we receive the blessings of the gospel. One of them is "joy in the Holy Spirit." Another divine blessing is "milk," which nourishes us, sustains us and helps us grow in the things of God — "the pure spiritual milk" (1 Peter 2:2).
The invitation does not stop at the gifts.
Three times over in Isaiah 55:1 the cry is to "come" for the blessings of God. But in verse 3 the Lord says, "Incline your ear, and come to me." It is good to come for blessing that God has provided. How very wonderful that we can come to the Lord Himself, the source of all the blessing. Coming to Him, having heard His voice, we receive life, for He says, "Come to me… that your soul may live."
- Cost paid. The invitation follows Isaiah 53: the Saviour paid the whole price at Calvary, so the counter charges you nothing.
- Price removed. God is too rich to sell salvation and man too poor to buy it, so it can only come as a gift.
- Thirst owned. Thirst is the whole qualification — not how strong your longing is, only that you want it.
- Doors opened. "Everyone" carries the offer past Israel to a needy world, Jew and Gentile alike.
- Life given. Water, wine and milk answer thirst, joy and growth — but the last "come" points past the gifts to the Giver, so that your soul may live.
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.
God interrupts the free invitation of the previous verse with a question. Before He offers His food, He asks them to look at what they are already buying — and at what it gives them back.
Verse 1 speaks to the person with no money at all. Verse 2 turns to a different listener: the one who has money and buys what is worthless. One writer draws out what "bread" stands for here:
There were not only the poor who had no money. God offered them His blessings. There were also the rich, who had money and spent it on what was not bread. In Scripture, bread is what is needed to keep life going. And the usual bent of the rich is to seek things that destroy the soul instead of things that feed it.
The second half of the question is about effort, not only cash. The work itself does not satisfy. One writer explains why:
As long as anyone's heart seeks rest, satisfaction, or happiness in this world, it will find only disappointment... The heart of man is too large for this world to fill. Its capacities are too vast for everything under the heavens to satisfy... But suppose a man reached every object he desired and held it all — what would he gain? Only a deeper sense that all is empty. Earthly good has no power to fill the aching emptiness inside. Every worldly pleasure, amusement and indulgence leaves the soul more thirsty than ever.
If nothing bought will satisfy, what is the craving for? One writer names what the thirsty soul is after, even when it cannot put that into words:
The thirsty are invited. And are you not among that number? You certainly are, if you have not yet found Jesus. Our verses say that "your labor," whatever it is, "does not satisfy." Thirst is a craving that only the right drink can satisfy. Now the thirst of an anxious soul is really for God and His Christ, though very likely it could not put it in so many words.
The verse is not only about pleasure and profit. People can spend money and effort on religious things that still leave the soul unfed:
Don't many of the religious books of today bear clear marks of a famine of the word of God? After reading pages of them we have sometimes said, "There is no ministry of Christ here. Where is food for souls?" ... We say it to warn Christian writers and readers. They should not waste their time, energy and money on what neither honours the Lord nor feeds souls.
The remedy God gives is to listen closely and eat what is good. One writer sets what that "good" is against the kind of blessing Israel might have expected:
What better could be known than "life" above the life of nature, received through faith in the divine Word — with Jehovah's favour enjoyed as well? This was not blessing in the city and in the field, or in the cattle and in the flock, in the basket and in the kneading bowl. It was not even being made the head rather than the tail. Old Testament believers knew this blessing and had it by grace, though far from the fullness we now have through and in Christ.
The good food comes with a condition — hearing:
Only those who listen closely to the Lord know what is good for the soul. Only those who hear His word will delight their souls in His rich provision.
"Eat what is good" raises a question: where is that food found? The answer is not a thing but a Person:
But where, you may ask again, are we to find the needed and suited portion for the soul? Let the Spirit of Truth answer... Christ Himself is the life and food of the soul. "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). Here, and here alone, the soul of man will find eternal rest. He is the only perfect and permanent good of the soul... Christ not only fills, but overflows the soul that is occupied with Him alone.
- Diagnosis — "Bread" is what keeps life going. The verse finds people paying good money for what cannot keep a soul alive.
- Evidence — The heart is too large for the world to fill, so every pleasure leaves it thirstier than before.
- Meaning — The thirst itself points somewhere. It is really a thirst for God and His Christ.
- Warning — Religious activity can be "not bread" too, if there is no ministry of Christ in it and souls go unfed.
- Cure — Listen closely and eat what is good: life and God's favour, found in Christ Himself. He does not just fill the soul; He overflows it.
Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David.
God speaks here to a people with nothing to offer, and instead of demanding payment He asks only for an open ear. It ties three things together: hearing that leads to life, a covenant that never expires, and a promise once made to David. The writers here find all three settled in a risen Christ.
The chapter has already called people to come for water, wine and milk. Verse 3 changes the destination — the invitation is no longer to a supply, but to a Person.
Three times over in Isaiah 55:1 the cry is to "come" for the blessings of God. But in verse 3 the Lord says, "Incline your ear, and come to me." It is good to come for blessing that God has provided. How wonderful that we can come to the Lord Himself, the source of all the blessing. Coming to Him, having heard His voice, we receive life, for He says, "Come… that your soul may live."
Listening is not a small first step before the real work begins. It is how the life comes.
The wisdom commended here does not come by the sight of the eyes, or by the activity of the mind, or even by training the affections. "Hear, that your soul may live," said Isaiah; and so the Apostle, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Older translations end the verse with the words "the sure mercies of David," and the writers quoted here use that wording. The phrase points back to a promise God had already sworn to David.
What are the sure mercies of David? Perhaps Psalm 89:3-4 provides the answer. God is speaking: "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: 'I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.'" God's promise to David was that his line would continue and his rule in His Name would also continue… When God sought to impress His people with the offer of stable and satisfying blessing, He reminds them of His covenant with David — a covenant He will never take back.
One writer traces the word sure straight back to the resurrection.
We must have Christ's resurrection even to get the earthly blessings of Israel. That is why, in Acts 13, Paul says that God raised Christ "up from the dead, no more to return to corruption"… Israel could not have them without death and resurrection. So the sure mercies of David are proof of resurrection. Until then, nothing was sure. If they trusted in a living man, all failed.
Israel had ruined every claim on God's kindness. One writer asks how blessing could still come.
If Israel had crucified the very One who was to bring them blessing, and if they had broken the covenant that promised them blessing, how could God still bless them? This could only become true out of pure grace and mercy… This verse links the sure mercies of David with the new covenant (Jer. 31:31). That covenant is pure grace: God takes all the obligations, and Israel receives all the blessing. Only one foundation can carry it: the shedding of the blood of Christ (Matt. 26:28; see also Isa. 54:10).
The invitation was never for Israel alone. One writer points to two men in Acts who lived it out.
Isaiah 55 opens with a call to "everyone who thirsts," so we move past the borders of Israel to blessings that will reach the Gentiles through the work of the Servant who has died. We see this in Acts 8 and 10. The Ethiopian's thirst led him to travel a long way to Jerusalem, seeking after God. The thirst of Cornelius led him to prayer and giving to the poor. In both cases they were looking for water to quench their thirst, and they got more — even "wine and milk without money and without price." They got it by inclining their ear and coming to the Source Himself. They heard and their souls lived, just as the prophet said in these verses. So even Gentiles are to enjoy the blessings of "the everlasting covenant."
What David received as a promise, Christ has now secured as a fact.
The covenant is "an everlasting covenant." He is "WITNESS," "PRINCE," and "COMMANDER," so nothing can fail. The sure mercies were promised. Now they are secured, and those who turn to Him have them in Christ… These sure mercies speak of abundant pardon and full blessing.
- Hear — the verse asks for an ear, not a payment; life comes by listening, because faith comes by hearing.
- Come — the invitation is not just to the blessings but to the Giver Himself. Coming to Him is where the soul begins to live.
- Sure — the mercies are sure because they rest on a risen Christ. Trust in a man who could still die secured nothing.
- Everlasting — this covenant is pure grace. God carries every obligation, and it rests on the blood of Christ, not on Israel's record.
- Held — what God promised to David, Christ has secured; everyone who turns to Him now has it.
Behold, I have given him [for] a witness to the peoples, a prince and commander to the peoples.
The invitation of this chapter costs nothing. But it rests on a Person. God breaks off His call to come and live, and points to someone He has given. Verse 4 names Him three ways: witness, leader, commander. Who is this "him," and who is He given to?
The chapter speaks to Israel, yet its language keeps widening. One writer reads verses 1 to 4 together and finds the identity of this person plain.
Clearly this points to some outstanding One, and no believer need hesitate about who He is. It is the Lord Jesus in royal relation to Israel (v. 3), and along with that a witness and commander to the peoples of the earth (v. 4).
How far does this gift reach? One writer answers from a detail of translation, then says what each title does.
Gentiles are definitely in view also in verse 4, since the word "people," which occurs twice, should be in the plural. God's Holy Servant, risen from the dead, is given as "a Witness to the peoples, a Leader and Commander to the peoples." As the Witness He makes God known to men. As the Leader and Commander He brings men into subjection to God.
The first title has no partners. He holds a place as witness that nobody else can share.
As the Witness to the peoples He stands absolutely alone. He only is the Declarer of God, being the only begotten Son, who abides "in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18). He is "the faithful Witness," and again, "the faithful and true Witness" (Rev. 1:5; Rev. 3:14). So in Him we really know God as He is. We need to keep reminding ourselves of this, since people in the world always tend to judge God by what they find in the world. So they utterly misjudge Him, and frame their complaints against Him.
The second and third titles work differently from the first. Neither one stands on its own. Each assumes people on the receiving end.
If He stands alone as Witness, we can see a contrast when we consider Him as Leader and Commander. Here others are necessarily in view — those whom He leads and commands. As Leader He goes before us, marks out the path and shows the way. As Commander He issues directions and instructs us in all that is the will of God. We need both: we find both in Him, for God has made that same Jesus, whom men crucified, "both Lord and Christ." As Lord He stands on God's behalf, directing and teaching, which answers to "Commander." As Christ He takes His place as the risen and anointed Head of all redeemed creation, and Head of His church in particular. That unfolds more fully what "Leader" sets out.
Verse 3 promises an everlasting covenant and the sure mercies of David. Why can those promises never fail? One writer points to the death and resurrection of Christ.
All, therefore, is stable, sure and safe in the hand of Him who died and rose again. "The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." He is the great Shepherd of the sheep, brought back from among the dead "in the power of the blood of the everlasting covenant." The covenant is "an everlasting covenant." And He is "WITNESS," "PRINCE," and "COMMANDER," so nothing can fail. God promised the sure mercies; Christ has now secured them; and those who turn to Him hold them in Christ.
One writer sets the verse against the long, dark history of Israel and the day that will end it.
Dark has been the history of that people ever since, in spite of repeated revivals and restorations, and dark it will continue to be until the glorious day shall come when (as we read in Isaiah 55:4), "I have given Him … for a leader and commander to the people."
Yet not all of this waits for that day. The writer quoted earlier turns the verse on the reader now.
The same thing is true in principle today, as men and women from a thousand different peoples hear the Gospel and find in Jesus the One whom God has made both Lord and Christ. Let each reader challenge his or her heart. Have I received His witness in full? Is He truly Leader and Commander in my life?
- Given — God's answer to the invitation of verses 1–3 is not a plan but a Person: "Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples." Older translations read, "I have given him."
- Witness — He alone declares God, for He is God's only begotten Son — God's unique Son. So we learn what God is like from Him, not from the world around us.
- Leader — He goes before, marks out the path and shows the way; the title assumes followers.
- Commander — He gives the directions and teaches the will of God. God has made that same Jesus, whom men crucified, both Lord and Christ.
- Peoples — the word is plural. The gift reaches past Israel to the nations — in full in the coming day, and already in principle wherever people believe the good news.
Behold, thou shalt call a nation thou knowest not, and a nation [that] knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of Jehovah thy God, and the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
Isaiah 55 opens with a call to everyone who is thirsty. By the fifth verse that call has reached past Israel's borders, out to nations that have never heard of the speaker. Two questions decide how the verse reads. Who is the "you" who will call a nation he does not know? And why do strangers run to him?
One writer traces a movement across four chapters, ending in a house open to all peoples:
The great Messianic prophecy in the later part of Isaiah is a case in point. Isaiah 53 predicts the atoning work of Christ. Isaiah 54 predicts the blessing of Israel that follows. Isaiah 55 predicts grace flowing out to the Gentiles. Isaiah 56 predicts the house of the Lord established as the centre where all who fear His Name will be gathered — His house "a house of prayer for all peoples."
Up to this point the chapter speaks to people. In verse 5 the address changes:
Verse 1 gives a call to all who thirst. Verse 2 presents an argument meant to enforce the call. Verse 3 gives an invitation to life and mercy. Verses 4 and 5 make very definite announcements. Only the announcement of verse 4 speaks to men. In verse 5 we find the Lord's announcement to His Servant risen from the dead. It states in different words what Isaiah 49:6 had already said. This has definite application to the present age, when God is visiting the nations and taking out of them a people for His Name. In our verse it is tied to His present glory. Many from among the nations are running to Him today, while He is glorified on high.
Commentators differ. Another writer keeps verse 5 among the national promises made to Israel:
Israel will one day break into singing, because they will believe in the One they once despised. Meanwhile the invitation to a free and full salvation goes out to everyone. But the national promises to Israel are in evidence in verses 3-5. And when Israel is redeemed, the invitation to salvation will go out as never before. Now individuals are saved. Then nations will be brought into the kingdom.
Verse 3 promised God's "steadfast, sure love for David." The New Testament ties that promise to Christ raised from the dead:
His resurrection secures everything God promised to Israel. It is also the occasion for the outflow of the grace that calls, and will yet call, Gentiles into a share of God's blessing and of the knowledge of Himself. Before death and resurrection He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Yet He could never deny His deeper glory, or His grace to the faith that saw either.
The verse gives its own reason for the running: God has glorified the one they run to. One writer finds the same thought in words Jesus spoke about His own death:
His own words when on earth were, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself" (John 12:32). This is a clearer statement of the fact stated in verse 5 of Isaiah 55. We Gentiles, who were "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise," have been called by Him, and are a kind of firstfruits of the nations that shall run to Him.
Verses 3, 4 and 5 form one chain. Each stage carries grace further out:
Having appealed to Israel and the nations, God now addresses Christ. He announces that there will be an answer to His proclamation of grace. That answer will gather the nations to the One whom God has glorified. So we have a threefold witness to the grace of God. Christ risen secures grace to Israel. Grace is proclaimed through Christ to the nations. Grace draws the nations to Christ glorified.
What happens today does not use up the promise. The whole promise is not still future either:
In the coming day there will of course be a complete fulfilment of Isaiah 55. It will come in the millennial blessing of the Gentile nations along with Israel. Yet there is a present-day fulfilment of this chapter. Verse 5, for instance, foreshadows the announcement the Lord made in Matthew 21:43. So also "my steadfast, sure love for David" (verse 3) is quoted by Paul in Acts 13:34 as referring to Christ risen from the dead. Such mercies are now available to all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile.
- Foundation. Christ risen from the dead secures the promises to Israel. His resurrection also opens the door for Gentiles. Before He died and rose, He was sent only to Israel's lost sheep.
- Announcement. Verse 4 speaks to men. Verse 5 is God's word to His risen Servant: He will call a nation He does not know.
- Magnet. The reason is "for he has glorified you." Nations run toward the One God has honoured, not toward anything in themselves.
- Reach. God has already called Gentiles who were once outside the covenants. They are a first instalment of the nations that will run to Him.
- Timing. People are being saved one by one now. Whole nations will come into the kingdom later. Commentators differ over whether verse 5 speaks to Christ or to Israel.