Come

02 Oct

Come

Isaiah is a book of prophecy that primarily targets the people of Israel. But chapters fifty-three through sixty-one diverge into the prophetic advent of salvation free to all who believe in the redemptive sacrifice of Christ on the cross. One part of that prophecy uses the imperative voice of command as God calls everyone to Come (Isa. 55:1), Listen Diligently (vs. 2b), Hear (vs.3), and Seek Him (vs. 6).

In Isaiah 55:1, God gives an invitation to the needy, specifying the spiritual results of faith with the physical metaphors of water for the thirsty and food for those in poverty: “Come ye every one that thirsts to the waters; and he that has no money, come, buy and eat. Indeed, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” The parable in Matthew 22:1-14 speaks of the Kingdom of God in similar terms. A king prepares a wedding celebration for his son but the invited guests do not accept the invitation, mistreating the king’s messengers in the process. The king’s servants are then sent out to invite the public to his feast, saying, “The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage” (Matt. 22:8-9). Here again, all are invited to come and eat high-end food – not just leftover scraps, but the food set out for a kingly feast.

God always gives us the best in spiritual food. Throughout Scripture God invites all to partake of His banquet table (Song 2:4) and we need to Listen Diligently to His call and to His offer of salvation: “…hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness…” (vs. 2b). Like the invited guests to the king’s feast, we risk being found unworthy if we ignore God’s call to us. As Isaiah 1:18-19a says, “Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword.” The text is generally a call to repentance for Israel, but Hebrews 9:15-28 makes it about all who come to Christ because His shed blood sealed the new covenant of salvation and, as verse 28 tells us, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for Him, shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

When we listen diligently, we also need to Hear Him: “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you” (vs. 3). Hearing is the assimilation and understanding of what was listened to and the subsequent response. One response to hearing the Word of God is faith: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17). The Psalmist makes the connection of salvation to fear (i.e. reverence based on belief) of God that moves us to hear in Psalm 66:16 and 34:11, “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he has done for my soul…Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”

Isaiah 55:6 brings back the imperative sense of God’s command with “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found; call ye upon him while He is near.” The word “seek”, like the word “come”, is an action verb and it denotes a robust and whole-hearted search for something. There is nothing sluggish about this directive and it brings us full circle back to salvation: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30).

“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart…” (Ps. 95:6-8a).