An Amazing Offer

KEY VERSE: “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” —Isaiah 55:6

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 55:1-13

CHAPTER 55 OF Isaiah is a prophecy relating to God’s kingdom. It is interesting that Chapter 53 prophesies of Jesus as the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Chapter 54 tells of the Grace Covenant which makes possible a class who will be associated with Jesus in blessing all the families of the earth. And the 55th chapter points to that blessing to come because of the ransom merit of Christ, and because the bride of the Lamb had made herself ready.—Rev. 19:7

The opening words of this prophecy are indeed an amazing offer. “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.” (vs. 1) In today’s society, food and drink that are free is a rarity. Yet such will be the situation in God’s kingdom, as we read in Revelation, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17) Isaiah’s prophecy asks, Why are we spending money on food that will not really sustain us? (Isa. 55:2) In the kingdom, the bread of life and the water of life will enable a man to live forever. In God’s kingdom people will be able to eat “that which is good,” and their souls will “delight itself in fatness.”—vs. 2

This prophecy in Isaiah is not merely about natural food and drink, but, more importantly, about the words of Jesus in John 6:35: “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” We know that Jesus gave his life as a “ransom for all” (I Tim. 2:6) and that as a consequence, “all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth.” (John 5:28,29) Thus an opportunity will be granted to everyone to “seek ye the Lord,” and to “call ye upon him.” (Isa. 55:6) The admonition will be given to all these, as it is written, “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.” (vs. 7) All past sins will be forgiven through Jesus.

A great blessing awaits the world of mankind in the provisions of the Lord’s kingdom. God’s Word assures us that his promised blessings will be fulfilled: “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.”—Isa. 55:11

So joyous will be the conditions of that time that all nature is pictured as entering into the spirit of the occasion with singing and clapping of hands: “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.” (vs. 12) The removal of the curse will indeed be a happy time for all.—Rev. 22:3

Despite the many radiant descriptions given in the Scriptures, it is nearly impossible for mankind to imagine just how marvelous the conditions will be in God’s kingdom! “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith 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.”—Isa. 55:8,9

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