We’re going to analyze the
first three verses of Isaiah 55:
“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat! Come, buy wine
and milk without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not
bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat
what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me; hear
me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my
faithful love promised to David.”
When God issues His invitation to come
to Him, He offers water, wine, and milk. There’s a lot of symbolism here so let’s
look at that.
Water is one of the most
important substances to us. Our bodies are comprised of 60-70% water. The
average human can live three days without water, but don’t try that. We have to
have water to live. In the Bible water is often a picture of the new birth.
When Jesus talked with Nicodemus in John 3:5, Jesus said,
“Except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
When Jesus spoke to the woman at the
well in John 4:13-14, He
said,
“Whosoever drinks of this
water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give
him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a
well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Jesus promises complete satisfaction to
everyone who drinks of the water that He offers. Unlike physical water, which we
better not go more than three days without, the spiritual water that Jesus
offers will forever satisfy the soul who will take just one sip. Jesus makes this
offer in John 7:37, 38:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to
me and drink. Whoever believes in me, the Scripture has said, streams of living
water will flow from within him.”
Wine in biblical times was
just as important as water. Most of the water was not fit to drink, so wine was
added to the water to kill the bacteria and made the water drinkable.
In the Bible, wine is often used as a
picture of joy,(Psalm 104:15)
and is also a picture of the Holy Spirit, who enters a child of God at
the moment of salvation. In 1st Peter 1: 8 it says that when we believe we will
be filled with “an inexpressible and glorious joy.” Remember that on the
Day of Pentecost, the Jews thought that the Spirit-filled disciples were drunk
with new wine (Acts 2:13).
Peter told the crowd that these men were not drunk with wine; they were under
the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Milk, the third item
here, is essential for healthy growth. In the Bible milk is a picture of the Word
of God (Scripture). God gives us the water of life that saves us, and the Spirit of
God that gives us joy, and He also gives us the Word of God, the Bible, that
teaches us all about God. The Bible is referred to as milk in 1 Pet. 2:2; 1 Cor. 3:2; Heb. 5:12-13.
So these three things, water, wine, and milk symbolize new birth, the Holy Spirit,
and the Holy Scriptures.
Now look at the end of verse one: you
can buy these three things without money or cost. God places everything as a
free gift. He offers salvation and contentment to all who will come to Him free
of any charge. (Rev. 22:17)
The Spirit
and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty,
let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of
life.
Wow, that was a lot. Now let’s get to
verse 2: Why spend money on what is not bread? Bread is a symbol of the complete and never-failing provision
for our spiritual nourishment. Why spend money on cardboard food? Think
about it.
Verses 2 and 3 tell us what will happen if we receive the Lord’s
free offer. First, God promises those
who come to Him that their “soul will
delight in the richest of fare.” This is a picture of salvation!
Secondly, God promises that He will “make
an everlasting covenant with you”. What is that covenant? Find it in
the rest of the verse: His faithful love!
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