If you have worked your way this far through these studies in the latter half of the book of Isaiah, you are to be commended. You are truly a Bible student! We simply remind you of the previous Introductions that put these chapters in context. Remember, these chapters are an amazing mix of condemnation of Sin and promises of restoration. Continue to watch for this mix as you read on. The more you read these chapters the more you will catch and understand the heart of the Lord.

Following On

In the previous set of studies (Ch.49-54) we commented that those chapters were full of talk of restoration. Yes, the beginning of chapter 50 reminded them that it was their sin that sold them into the Exile, but overall the chapters, including the Servant Songs, were very positive.

In the present set of studies, this theme of restoration continues, but with a stronger intermingled element of the reasons why restoration was necessary – because judgement was coming first! It starts with a call to hear God's word which will be fulfilled - Ch.55. (This word includes aliens who join themselves to the people of God - Ch.56). It concludes with a glorious promise of wonderful days to come - Ch.60. In between there is God's accusation against sinful Israel who have turned to idols – Ch.57, a rebuke for false piety – Ch.58, and an acknowledgement of the poor moral and spiritual state of the land - Ch.59.

The Breakdown of this set of Studies

We will divide these studies up as follows:

• "A New All-Inclusive Covenant" (55:1 – 56:8)

• "Diagnosis of Israel's Sin" (56:9 – 58:14)

• "The Lord Comes to Fallen Israel" (Ch.59)

• "Transformation by the Lord" (Ch.60)

Part 1 : “A New All-Inclusive Covenant”

As we go into chapter 55 we will be confronted with a paradoxical call to buy without money. This opens the way to a call to listen to the Lord's word, a new covenant that was promised to King David. This covenant ushers in the Lord's salvation to all who will bind themselves to the Lord, whoever they are and wherever they come from, and the Lord will use it to draw many to Him from all over the world. Watch for all this in the next chapter and a half.

Chapter: Isaiah 55

Passage: Isaiah 55:1-2

A. Find Out:

1. What 2 groups are invited to come? v.1

2. What are they invited to come and do? v.1

3. How are they to buy? v.1

4. What does he say not to spend money on? v.2

5. How are they to eat? v.2

6. What will they feel after they have eaten? v.2

B. Think:

1. What is the strange thing about these instructions?

2. What did he say doesn't satisfy?

3. What is he saying will satisfy in abundance?

C. Comment:

At first sight there is a strange instruction here. To come and drink from the water is quite straight forward, but then comes an instruction to those who have no money - to buy! How can you buy when you don't have any money? Well what do you have? Nothing! Yes, you have something! What have you got? Nothing, well, only myself. Ah! Right!

So, come and buy by giving yourself in exchange for what is being offered. What is being offered? Wine and milk. Literal wine and milk? Probably not. Whatever it is, it will satisfy, that much is clear. The questions being asked imply that so far their efforts have been going into things that don't bring ultimate satisfaction. So what are they being offered? Words. The instruction is to listen and in listening they will “eat” (and take in) and they will find it brings great delight and satisfaction.

The call is to people who are not getting satisfaction from their lives, who are poor and needy as a result. Come and get what will satisfy, he says. Come and get wine (which lightens the heart) and milk (which provides nourishment). You can't earn them or buy them; they are free and just have to be received. How do you receive this lightening of heart and nourishment? By listening to God! Here is a basic fundamental truth: we can work and strive and yet be left completely without satisfaction. Satisfaction, encouragement and nourishment come from God alone. Without His presence and His word our lives are empty and dry and barren.

D. Application:

1. Check the quality of your life? Dry or flourishing?

2. God Himself is the source of all our life and energy.

Chapter: Isaiah 55

Passage: Isaiah 55:3-5

A. Find Out:

1. So what does the Lord tell them to do and why? v.3a,b

2. What des He say He will do? v.3c,d

3. What had He made David? v.4

4. What does He say they will do? v.5a,b

5. Why will this be? v.5c.d

B. Think:

1. How are these verses a direct continuation from the previous study?

2. What does the Lord reveal He's going to do?

3. What effect will that have?

C. Comment:

Previously we noted the Lord's call to His people to listen to Him. That was at the heart of verses 1 and 2. When we receive the Lord and listen to Him, we will be satisfied. So in verse 3 He repeats this: come and listen to what I'm saying because I'm proposing a new level of life for you!

How was that to be? The Lord was declaring a new covenant. This is monumental and probably we take it for granted, but for Israel this was incredible! They lived under a covenant (agreement with God) that went right back to them being formed into a nation at Sinai. They were what they were because of that covenant. Everything about their relationship with the Lord hung on that covenant that had come through Moses.

Now the Lord says He's bringing a NEW covenant! Why do we need a new covenant? Simply because God has now got something better for His world, something that was there in His plan from the beginning. This covenant is based upon David, upon a promise God had made to David. In 2 Sam 7:4-17 we find this promise to raise up David's offspring and produce an everlasting kingdom. David no doubt thought that it referred to Solomon and his children, and that it did, but one of those children (naturally at least) was Jesus! The new covenant is about a different kingdom whose ruler is in heaven. Because of it, people will come from all over the world to be part of this kingdom, but it's not a physical kingdom, it's spiritual, and therefore it will be expressed all over the world. The believers of Israel are merely the first fruits of this coming kingdom. This kingdom is world wide!

D. Application:

1. God's people are the believers worldwide, whatever their national status.

2. This kingdom exists solely because of Jesus! Hallelujah!

Chapter: Isaiah 55

Passage: Isaiah 55:6-8

A. Find Out:

1. What were they exhorted to do? v.6

2. What two wrong men were told to do what? v.7a,b

3. What was he then to do with what result? v.7c,d

4. In what 2 ways do they differ from the Lord? v.8

B. Think:

1. What implication is there in verse 6?

2. How many truths can you see in verse 7?

3. How does verse 8 highlight the problem being spoken about?

C. Comment:

In verse 1, three times the Lord said, “Come”. In verses 2 and 3 he said, “Listen…Give ear.” Now in verse 6 He repeats all that in a stronger and more powerful way: “Seek the Lord… call on him”. We sometimes are led astray to think that all of the action is on God's side, but this is a call by God for us to DO something specifically. When you ‘seek' someone you go looking for them. You stop everything else you're doing. The challenging thing here is that the Lord says it's a time when He may be found, a time when He is near. The implication of this is that this isn't always true. The same seems to be implied in the Song of Songs (Song 3:1-4, 5:2-5). The Lord is always there but sometimes not there! There are times when He makes His presence very obvious, and other times when He seems distant. The lesson? WE need to learn those times and respond accordingly.

In verse 7 there is a call to repentance. The wicked need to give up their wrong ways, for they will be answerable to God. 'Wrong' includes thoughts. Such people need to seek God in contrition. When, and only when, they do this, the Lord will have mercy and pardon them. Until they do there will be no mercy and no pardon.

The need is highlighted in verse 8: we differ from the Lord and fall short of His goodness in our thoughts and in our lives generally. In our falling short, we become guilty of missing the target, of being the people He designed us to be, and as such we deserve His judgement. We NEED to seek Him regularly for His mercy and His pardon. The more you mature spiritually, the more you realise your need, and the wonder of His mercy!

D. Application:

1. We fall short. We need His pardon. I must seek Him.

2. When I come in contrition, He forgives and restores. Thank you Lord.

Chapter: Isaiah 55

Passage: Isaiah 55:9-11

A. Find Out:

1. What is the Lord using as an illustration? v.9a

2. To what is He comparing them? v.9b,c

3. What next does He use as an illustration? v.10a

4. What does He say it does? v.10b-d

5. To what does He compare it? v.11a

6. What does He say it will do? v.11b,c

B. Think:

1. How does God say He differs from us?

2. What implication do you think that creates?

3. What does He say about His own word?

C. Comment:

In the earlier part of this chapter, the Lord had challenged them to “listen and eat” (v.2). His word, He was saying, will act as life and sustenance to them. So, He said (v.6), seek God. Then He starts giving reasons why we need to seek God and listen to Him. He started it in verse 8 by saying that their thoughts and their ways of living were quite different from His. Now in verse 9 He illustrates HOW DIFFERENT His thoughts and ways are. He says, look, look at the sky and see how distant it is from the earth. That's a small illustration of how different God's thoughts and ways are from ours, so it's important that we go to Him and listen to what He's got to say, so that we can bring our thoughts and our lives in line with Him.

Then He gives a second reason for listening to the Lord, because of HOW POWERFUL God's word is. When God speaks it always has effect. If the Lord says something to us, it is for effect. Just as He's made water to create growth on the earth and bring change to it, so His word, similarly, brings change always. We need to hear His word; it has life changing impact. When we hear it, it always has impact in us. If our hearts are hard, then they become harder. If our hearts are open to Him, then His word brings hope and encouragement, guidance and direction, to us. One way or another our hearts will be changed by His word that comes. Therefore it is all the more important that we seek Him and hear what He has to say. The word of God is crucial to our lives!

D. Application:

1. My understanding is so limited. I need God to speak to me.

2. My comprehension of His ways is so limited. I need to hear Him.

Chapter: Isaiah 55

Passage: Isaiah 55 :12,13

A. Find Out:

1. What will they do? v.12a

2. How does he say creation will respond? v.12b,c

3. What will grow instead of what? v13a,b

4. Why will this be? v.13c

5. How will it be used? v.13d

B. Think:

1. How would you summarise the content of these 2 verses?

2. How is it connected to the verses that have gone before?

3. Yet how is it different from what has gone before?

C. Comment:

It is important in these studies to see how the particular verses being considered fit in with the rest of the chapter, i.e. we examine the context!

In this chapter the Lord has called on them to seek Him and listen to what He says. He will tell them of His new covenant and the blessing He wants to bring on them. They need to seek Him because their thoughts and ways are so different from His. When they do that, they will hear His word and life will be changed. These two verses summarise those changes!

Because of what the Lord will do, they will have JOY and PEACE. This will be a complete transformation from what has been, where there has been mourning and anguish because of their state and because of the enemy's activities against them.

Because of this all Creation, seeing the transformation, will rejoice at the wonder of the work of God. It will be clearly visible and because of the goodness of it, all Creation will acknowledge how it now fits so perfectly into the will of God for the world.

More than that, there will come a physical transformation to the Land. We often think (wrongly) that revival or blessing simply affects the spiritual lives of the people of God. No, it also has impact on the whole of life. When the blessing of God is able to come to His people, it is able to come to the whole world, so even the physical world is transformed. As a result of this, greater glory and praise is given to God, and the people of God act as a signpost to God for the rest of the world.

D. Application:

1. When God blesses, He blesses all of your life.

2. Our lives are not to be compartmentalised.

Chapter: Isaiah 56

Passage: Isaiah 56:1-3

A. Find Out:

1. What does the Lord tell them to do? v.1a

2. Why? v.1b

3. Who is blessed? v.2a

4. What else does he do? v.2b

5. What two people are next addressed? v.3a,c

6. What are they next to say? v.3b,d

B. Think:

1. What is the motivating force behind good behaviour here?

2. What is the good behaviour to include?

3. How is the Lord's blessing extended?

C. Comment:

In the previous chapters the coming blessing of the Lord has been spoken about and that is simply continued here. At the start the Lord says He is coming soon and His salvation and His righteousness will soon be revealed. So, He says, in the light of this, make sure you are living as I've told you to live in the past. Maintain justice (fairness and goodness, caring for all peoples) in your society and make sure you do what is right. Dare we say that our society in the West in a just society and that we do right as a people? Hmmm! If you live my ways, says the Lord you will be blessed. My way includes acknowledging me and honouring me and living in the way I've said (the Sabbath v.2), and ensuring evil has no place among you.

But it is more than appears at first sight. We might just assume that this applies to every Jew, but, no, says the Lord, it includes every person who has joined themselves to my people and become one of my faithful ones. So this isn't just for Jews, it's also for Gentiles who knit their hearts to God's heart, so no such person should feel excluded. And indeed, it goes on in the following verses, if there is any person who, for whatever reason (we might say today) is disabled and feels incomplete, in the blessing that God brings, you are not a lesser person, you are not someone who will be excluded from God's love.

D. Application:

1. God comes for all people and He comes to bring blessing or judgement.

Judgement for rebellion, blessing for obedience.

2. If our hearts are right, no one will be excluded.

Chapter: Isaiah 56

Passage: Isaiah 56:4-8

A. Find Out:

1. To whom does the Lord now speak? v.4

2. What will He give them? v.5

3. To whom next does He speak? v.6

4. What will He do for them? v.7a,b

5. What will the Temple be known as? v.7c

6. How does the Lord summarise all this? v.8

B. Think:

1. Read Deut 23:1 How is God changing things?

2. What is the criteria for this to happen?

3. What is the point about “foreigners”?

C. Comment:

The Lord has just said that His salvation is coming and is there for anyone who is righteous. He has briefly mentioned the foreigner or the eunuch and now he enlarges on what He has said. The point of the Law's exclusion was probably to highlight the Lord's emphasis on holiness meaning wholeness and thus for the sake of the purity of the Law, such men were excluded from the Temple. The point that the Lord is now making is that ANYONE who seeks and finds Him will be accepted and NONE will be excluded. It is a heart condition that includes anyone.

Even more than that, whereas the Sinai covenant had been specifically for the Jews, God's heart is to the whole world and so any one who might fit the term Gentile or foreigner can be included in God's blessings as long as they hold fast to the Lord and to His ways.

Thus it is that the Temple is meant to become a house of prayer for all nations . When we read of Jesus quoting this (Mt 21:13) the emphasis is on the temple being a place of prayer, not a market place, but here the emphasis is on it being a place for ALL NATIONS to come to, to meet with God. There is an inclusivity in these verses that the Jews found difficult.

What was the criteria for such people to be accepted? That they would “bind themselves to the Lord to serve Him” (v.6). This meant that there was to be a heart joining with the Lord, and wherever that is, the Lord will accept that person, whoever they are, from whatever place they come.

D. Application:

1. God has no prejudices. He accepts all peoples.

2. The only criteria for acceptance is heart desire and righteousness.

RECAP - "New All-Inclusive Covenant" - Isaiah 55:1 - 56:8

SUMMARY :

In this first group of 7 studies we have seen :

- an invitation to a new world Davidic covenant (v.1-5)

- a call to seek the Lord (v.6-9)

- a declaration that God's word will be accomplished (v.10-13)

- a call to righteousness (v.1,2)

- the coming salvation to be all inclusive (v.3-8)

COMMENT :

Chapter 55 starts off paradoxically! Thirsty? Come and drink. If you have no money, buy with no cost! So what do we buy? The word of the Lord? That is what brings life. How do we get it? We seek Him and then He gives it to us. That is all that is required – you seek the Lord, and then believe the Lord. Oh yes, believing is an essential ingredient, and that is sometimes difficult because God's ways seem so different from ours and what He offers seems to be too good to be true!

His offer of salvation brings peace and joy and fruitfulness and it is an offer for all peoples, whoever they are, in whatever state they may be in. No one is to be excluded from this offer.

LESSONS?

1. Grace comes freely.

2. God is always the initiator of new covenants.

3. God needs seeking if we are to learn His ways.

4. God WILL do what he says.

5. God purposes peace and joy for His people.

6. Repentance & righteousness precede this all-inclusive salvation.

PRAY :

Thank the Lord that His grace comes freely to you. Ask Him to encourage you to do what you need to do in bringing in righteousness.

PART 2 : "Diagnosis"

In this next Part we go back to the “Bad News”. We've said before that before the Good News of the Gospel can be appreciated, we first have to face the “Bad News”, our state before God. In the chapters ahead there IS “Good News” but there is also a lot of “Bad News”. It is essential for Israel to face the truth of their state, otherwise they will not repent and they will not receive all of God's goodness.