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The Compassion of the Lord
55 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
“Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
(ESV)
Isaiah 55 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Faith in Jesus without a life filled with Jesus’ attitude and behavior is no life of faith at all. There are no excuses because a reborn life is not done in our own strength but in His. There will always be resistance. Our default operating mode is to behave according to our flesh and that is not easily broken. In fact, the power to break it was displayed by Jesus’ death on the cross. It’s a serious and sobering reality that this is what it cost to bring redemption for our wayward choices.
No matter how righteous you think you are, to live apart from God is unrighteousness. This is why God reminds us that He is far above how we believe things should operate in our lives.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares 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.
Isaiah 55:8-9 NASB
The question then becomes, how can we really operate in these higher thoughts and ways? How can we resist our own attitude and behavior in order to receive wisdom from His kingdom? Just like the heavens are so high and unseen by us here on Earth, so are His ways unseen without faith in Jesus.
The good news is, Jesus death was not accomplished so that we would adhere to a strict set of boundaries and guidelines for our life. The Word is living and active. The Holy Spirit is a person. Jesus came as a man. Through these living and active relationships, we are empowered to live righteous lives according to God’s thoughts and ways! We must understand the difference between rules and relationships.
When the sacrifice of Jesus’ sets in, and we connect personally with the Holy Spirit, we transcend above our own thoughts and ways into God’s Holy Will. This is what causes real life change, which, in the end, satisfies (and exceeds) the law of God that was set from the beginning.