Commentary - Isaiah 55:1-5

Bird's-eye view

Isaiah 55 opens with one of the most magnificent and unconditional invitations in all of Scripture. It is a town crier's shout from the throne of heaven into the dusty, parched marketplace of human existence. God, through His prophet, offers ultimate satisfaction, symbolized by water, wine, and milk, to all who recognize their own spiritual thirst and bankruptcy. The central paradox of the gospel is presented immediately: this rich feast must be "bought," yet the price is nothing at all. The passage then pivots to a gentle rebuke, questioning the sanity of spending one's life on pursuits that never satisfy. The method of obtaining this free salvation is simply to listen, to incline the ear to God's word, which results in life and entrance into an everlasting covenant. This covenant is explicitly tied to the promises made to David, establishing Christ as the fulfillment. The chapter concludes this section with a glorious, missiological promise that this Davidic King will draw nations to Himself, not because of their inherent worth, but because God the Father has glorified the Son.

In short, this is the gospel in miniature. It is a call from a gracious God to needy sinners, offering free and full salvation in Christ, received by faith which comes by hearing, all grounded in God's unbreakable covenant promises, and destined for global victory.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

This chapter is situated in the second major section of Isaiah, often called the "Book of Consolation" (chapters 40-66). After thirty-nine chapters of judgment and warnings, the prophet's focus shifts to the comfort and hope of God's redemption. This section looks beyond the impending Babylonian exile to a greater exodus and a greater restoration. The immediate context is the Servant Songs, which describe the suffering and victorious work of the Messiah (culminating in Isaiah 53). Isaiah 54 described the glorious restoration of Zion, pictured as a barren woman who will have many children. Chapter 55 is the logical and evangelistic outflow of this accomplished work. Because the Servant has suffered and triumphed, this great invitation can now be extended to the entire world. It is the "altar call" of the Old Testament, based squarely on the substitutionary atonement described just two chapters earlier.

Key Issues

The Great Gospel Bazaar

Imagine a vast, sprawling marketplace under a blistering sun. The merchants are all shouting, hawking their wares. Their products are glittering, enticing, and expensive. They promise happiness, fulfillment, security, and pleasure. And the people are spending everything they have, their money, their time, their energy, their very lives, to purchase these goods. But the food is made of ash, and the water is salt. Nothing satisfies. Into this scene of desperate, futile commerce steps a herald from the Great King, and his cry cuts through all the noise. He is not selling anything. He is giving it away. The King has opened his own storehouse, and the finest provisions are offered freely. This is the scene Isaiah 55 paints. It is the logic of the gospel set against the backdrop of the world's bankrupt economy.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.

The invitation begins with a loud, attention-grabbing cry: "Ho!" This is a universal call, directed to "every one." But there are two qualifications for entry. The first is that you must be thirsty. This is not a call to the self-satisfied, the comfortable, the spiritually smug. It is a call to those who know their own desperate need, their inner dehydration. The second qualification is that you must be broke. "You who have no money." The gospel is not for those who think they can contribute to their salvation. You must come with empty hands. The paradox is glorious: you are commanded to "buy and eat," but the transaction requires no currency. This is the logic of grace. We are called to an action, to "buy," which means to take it, to appropriate it, to make it your own. But the price has been paid by another. The provisions are lavish: water for thirst, wine for joy, and milk for nourishment. This is not bare-bones sustenance; it is a rich feast.

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight your soul in richness.

God then asks a piercingly logical question. He looks at the frantic activity of the human race and asks, in essence, "Why are you being so foolish?" The word for "spend" here is literally "weigh out silver." People are carefully, deliberately exchanging their life's labor for things that are not true bread, for things that cannot ultimately sustain or satisfy. This is a perfect description of a life lived apart from God. Whether it is the pursuit of wealth, power, pleasure, or reputation, it is all an investment in spiritual junk food. It looks good, but it leaves you empty. The antidote is simple: "Listen carefully to Me." The way to the feast is through the ear. To listen to God's word is to "eat what is good." True satisfaction, the "richness" that delights the soul, is found not in things, but in the truth of God received and believed.

3 Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that your soul may live; And I will cut an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful lovingkindnesses of David.

The summons is repeated and intensified. "Incline your ear." This means to lean in, to pay close attention. It is a posture of humble receptivity. The stakes could not be higher: "Listen, that your soul may live." Spiritual life and death hang on hearing the word of God. And what is this life-giving word? It is a covenant proposal. "I will cut an everlasting covenant with you." This is not a temporary truce or a flimsy agreement. It is an eternal, unbreakable bond initiated by God. And it is defined by the promises God made to David. The Hebrew is hesed, the loyal, steadfast, covenant love of God. The "faithful lovingkindnesses of David" refer to the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7), where God promised David an everlasting kingdom, throne, and dynasty. The hearers in Isaiah's day knew this promise seemed dead, with the kingdom in shambles. But God says He will fulfill this covenant with all who come and listen. This is a direct pointer to the Son of David, the Messiah, in whom these promises find their "Yes and Amen."

4 Behold, I have given him as a witness to the peoples, A ruler and commander for the peoples.

God now explains the role of David in this plan. The "him" refers to David historically, but functions as a type or a pattern for the Messiah to come. God made David a "witness" to the nations. His reign, his victories, and his relationship with Yahweh were a testimony to the surrounding peoples of the power and faithfulness of the one true God. He was also a "ruler and commander," a leader and a prince for the people. This sets the stage for the greater David, Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate witness to the Father, the King of kings, and the commander of the armies of the living God. He is the one in whom the covenant is embodied.

5 Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, And a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of Yahweh your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has adorned you with beautiful glory.”

The promise now explodes beyond the borders of Israel. The "you" here is the Messiah, the Davidic King. He will call nations that were previously strangers to the covenant. And their response will not be a slow, reluctant shuffle. The text says they will "run to you." This is the language of eager, joyful, urgent conversion. Why will they come? Not because the Messiah is simply an attractive moral teacher. They will run to Him for two reasons. First, "Because of Yahweh your God." The triune God is the ultimate cause of salvation. The Father draws them. Second, "For He has adorned you with beautiful glory." The Father has glorified the Son. This refers to the resurrection, ascension, and session of Christ. The nations will see the glory of the triumphant King, and they will run to Him for salvation. This is a profoundly optimistic, postmillennial promise. The gospel will not limp its way through history in defeat. It will run, and the nations will run to it, because the Father is determined to glorify the Son.

Application

This passage presents us with a stark choice that is just as relevant today as it was in the days of Isaiah. Every day, we are spending our lives on something. We spend our time, our attention, our money, our labor. The question God asks us is, "Is it bread, or is it junk?" Are we investing in the kingdom of God, in the word of God, in the worship of God? Or are we weighing out our souls for the glittering non-food of the world?

The invitation is still open. If you are thirsty, if you know that the things you have been chasing are leaving you empty, then God says, "Come." If you are spiritually bankrupt, with nothing to offer, no merits to plead, then God says, "Come and buy." The price has been paid in full by the blood of the Davidic King, Jesus Christ. The only thing required of you is to stop trying to earn it, and simply to listen. Incline your ear to the gospel. Listen to the promise that Christ died for your sins and was raised for your justification. Listen, and your soul will live.

And for those of us who have come to the waters, this passage is our marching order. We are citizens of a kingdom whose King has been glorified. Because of that glory, the nations are running to Him. Our task is to be the heralds who cry "Ho!" in the marketplace, to point thirsty and broke sinners to the free feast, confident that God will accomplish His glorious purpose of drawing the world to His Son.