Isaiah 55:10

Isaiah 55:10 says, For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:  God said that when the rain and snow came down that they didn’t do so without a purpose.  They fell to water the earth that it might bring forth fruit and vegetables to provide fruit for people to eat.  At times, we may wish it wouldn’t rain because it spoils our plans, but when we see the devastation that drought can bring on crops that we depend on for food, we realize how important rain is. 

Verse eleven adds, 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.  God said that just as the rain and snow fulfilled their purpose of watering the earth so that crops might grow, so His word when it went out of His mouth would not return to Him void.  He said that His word would accomplish what He sent it forth to do.  This does not mean that everyone will do what God calls them to do, but that His word will force people to make a choice.  They either respond to His call or reject it, but His word does not fail in either case.  It is still the truth, even if everyone rejects it.  Since God gives people free-will, His word can only go forth to call us to repentance, but it will never make us repent. 

Verse twelve continues, For 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.  God said when people accepted His call to salvation that they would go out with joy and peace, and the hills would break out with singing and the trees would clap their hands if the people didn’t.  As followers of Christ, we are to be a joyous people who are spiritually at peace and we should be singing praises to God wherever we go. 

Verse thirteen concludes, Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.  Isaiah said that there was going to be a time when good things came Israel’s way instead of the bad that they had been experiencing.  Fir trees were going to replace thorns and myrtle trees were going to replace briars.  Matthew Henry says this means the replacement of the evil nature of people with a good nature once they accepted the gospel and put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  God said this was an everlasting sign that those who put their faith in Jesus Christ would never be cut off.  This is still His promise to us today.

Isaiah 55:6

Isaiah 55:6 says, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:  Isaiah said the people of Israel, and those everywhere for that matter, needed to call on God while He was near and could be found.  Actually, God always calls out to people to come to Him, and we just need to respond when He is calling us. Then, He is near and can be found, but if we refuse to listen when He calls, He may one day quit calling, and if He does, then He cannot be found.  We don’t find God, but He finds us. 

Verse seven adds, 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.  If we are to have a personal relationship with God, we must forsake our wicked ways and even give up our unrighteous thoughts.  We have to change from our sinful nature and start to be guided by the righteous leadership of the Holy Spirit.  When we do this, accepting the gift of salvation, we return to a right relationship with God, not through our own righteousness, but through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  Then, the Heavenly Father will have mercy on us and abundantly pardon us.  He does not just pardon some sins, but He pardons all sins, past, present, and future. 

Verse eight continues, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  God said that His thoughts are not the thoughts of mankind, nor are His ways the ways of mankind.  Our thoughts will always be so much less than the thoughts of God.  Our thoughts are still limited to finite things even when we are thinking about God.  We try to describe Who He is in earthly terms, but God sees from the heavenly perspective.  We could not conceive of a salvation plan that required the death of our son, but God made a plan of redemption that consisted of His only begotten Son dying for sinful people. 

Verse nine concludes, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  God made the analogy of the heavens being higher than the earth to compare His thoughts to mankind’s thoughts.  We may think that the earth is a special place, but when compared to the rest of the universe, it is but a small dot.  That is how much higher God’s thoughts are to the thoughts of people.  Our thoughts are but a small dot when compared to God’s, even if we are the most intelligent person in the world. 

Isaiah 55:1

Isaiah 55:1 says, 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.  I believe this is a call to have our spiritual hunger and thirst filled by putting our faith in God.  This promise is to everyone and not just to the people of Israel.  We are never going to be able to buy God’s gift of salvation and the peace that should come with it, but He has freely given it to us through His mercy. 

Verse two adds, Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.  God said that people were never going to be able to satisfy their spiritual hunger and thirst by their own works.  We may be hard at work trying to find success in the world, and we may even be successful in doing so, but this will never satisfy our soul, which can only be satisfied when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and live by our covenant relationship with Him.  Anything we spend money and even time on outside of the will of God is never going to feed us spiritually. 

Verse three continues, Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.  God called on people to hear His word and come to Him.  He also said that when they did their soul would live.  I believe that our soul is only fully alive spiritually when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, even though the souls of those who don’t will continue to exist, but they will live in everlasting destruction instead of everlasting peace with God. 

Verse four states, Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.  Isaiah said that the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, would be a witness to all people about what it means to live in obedience to God.  Though He wasn’t a commander and leader of the people at that time, He is the only one qualified to be our spiritual Commander and Leader.  We cannot provide salvation by our own merit, nor can we procure the Living Water and the Bread of Life on our own.  All are a free gift from Heavenly Father through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and until we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, we will never have access to the other two.  We cannot earn nor buy the Living Water and the Bread of Life, but they are a free gift from God to those who accept His gift of salvation. 

Verse five adds, Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.  Isaiah said that the people of Isreal were given a land that they knew nothing of and that people from other lands that the people of Israel knew nothing of would come to them because of their God.  It wasn’t because they were better than others spiritually and it certainly wasn’t because they were better physically, but it was because of their relationship to God that they were spiritually better than other people who did not acknowledge God as the only God that there is.  This is still true for followers of Jesus Christ today. 

Isaiah 54:9

Isaiah 54:9 says, For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.  During Noah’s day, God was very worth, or angry at how the people were acting, and He destroyed all but Noah and his family.  God said He promised then that He would never destroy the world this way again and He never fails to keep His promise.  He said He would not contend with people this way again.  Instead, out of His mercy He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place.  He does not just destroy people because of the evil they do, but one day they will face everlasting punishment if they do not accept God’s gift of salvation. 

Verse ten adds, For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.  God promised that even if the mountains departed and the hills were removed that His promise, or word, would never depart.  This will always be true. 

Verse eleven continues, O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.  Though the people of Israel then and the church today might be in a sad state materially, there is coming a day when that will change.  God said that He would lay their foundation with precious stones.  The greatest precious stone is not a jewel, but the cornerstone of faith in Jesus Christ.

Verse twelve concludes, And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.  God said He was going to make their dwelling place a place of beauty, and this doesn’t mean that we are going to be rich in this world.  Our dwelling place as followers of Christ is heaven.  We are just passing through this world. 

Verse thirteen states, And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.  God said their children would be taught about the Lord and they would have great peace if they put their faith in Him.  We need to teach our children about Jesus Christ, and if they accept Him as their Savior and Lord, they will have great peace.  It will not matter how bad things get in the world.  As Christians, we should live at peace in our heart because we know that we have an everlasting home with God. 

Verse fourteen adds, In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.  Isaiah said that when the people were living up to their covenant relationship with God that they would be established forever and have no reason to live in fear.  The covenant relationship was never about just obeying God’s commandments, since everyone falls short of doing so, but it is a covenant relationship based on putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  The people then put their faith in His coming and we now put our faith in the fact that He did.  When we live in holiness or set apart from the world by our relationship with Jesus Christ, we should always be at peace spiritually. 

Verse fifteen continues, Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.  Isaiah said that the enemies of God would gather against Him but would fail in defeating His people.  It may seem that the whole world is against us today, but as followers of Christ, they will never be victorious spiritually.  If we at times fail to live by faith, we may be temporarily defeated, but the ultimate victory is ours through our faith in Jesus Christ. 

Verse sixteen says, Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.  God said He had created both the smith who created instruments and also the one who could destroy the work of the smith.  No matter how many weapons of destruction people make today, they will never defeat God, since He made those who create them and even the materials that they make them from.  We just need to rest assured in the promise of God that He has redeemed us to be His people forever. 

Verse seventeen adds, No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.  Isaiah further expanded the promise of God to His people that no enemy will ever prevail against Him. The heritage of God’s people is that their righteousness is not of themselves but of God.  By our own righteousness we fail, but by the righteousness of God we never will.  This righteousness is based on God’s goodness and mercy and our accepting the fact that we can do nothing to deserve it.  He freely makes us righteous when we accept the gift of salvation made possible by the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He alone lived in complete righteousness.

Isaiah 54:6

Isaiah 54:6 says, For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.  Isaiah continues with the analogy of the people of Israel, and in the broader context the church, being the bride of God.  They had been His bride in their youth, so they still would be.  They had seemed to be forsaken because of their refusal to be obedient to Him, but He was calling them to be restored to their relationship as His bride.  As Christians, we are the bride of Christ, and if we stray away from His will in our life, this does not change.  Still, the benefits of being His bride may go away until we repent and return to Him in obedience. 

Verses seven adds, For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  Isaiah said for a brief period of time God had forsaken them but that with great mercies He would gather them again.  He had forsaken them because of their rebellion and not just as an arbitrary action on His part, and even then, I believe, He continued to call out to them.  They just wouldn’t listen.  If we find ourselves feeling abandoned by God as followers of Christ, it will always be because we have allowed sin back into our lives and not because God has suddenly just abandoned us.  God will still pour His mercy out on us if we will only return to Him in obedience. 

Verse eight continues, In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.  God said in His wrath against the sins of the people who refused to listen to Him, He was hidden from them for a little while, but He also said that He would have everlasting mercy on them as their Redeemer.  As Christians, if we fall back into sin, God may be briefly hidden from us.  Sin separates us from Him temporarily, but He is still our everlasting Redeemer if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ.  When we become a born-again believer, nothing can ever separate us from God forever, since we are sealed to Him by His power. 

Isaiah 54:1

Isaiah 54:1 says, Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.  Isaiah said that when God delivered them from Babylonian captivity that they were to break forth in song and cry aloud.  The nation of Israel had been like a barren woman, with very few people being added to the nation.  There were also more children who didn’t believe in God than there were who did, which would be like the children of a wife.  Matthew Henry points out that only about 42,000 returned from Babylon, which was about a fifteenth of the number that had left Egypt.  We need to pray that the number of Christians in the world today doesn’t begin to decrease, but I am afraid it will.  Still, we must obey God’s command to carry the gospel to the whole world. 

Verse two adds, Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;  Isaiah said they were to prepare for the nation to grow once more. They had been defeated and reduced in numbers, but by faith in God, that was going to change.  As followers of Christ today, we need to always look for God to increase our numbers, but all we can do is witness to and pray for the lost.  The increase will always be up to the individuals and God. 

Verse three continues, For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.  Isaiah said they were going to break forth in all directions and that they were going to increase by reaching the Gentiles and calling them to become a part of God’s family.  God never intended for the people of Israel to think that they alone could be saved, but they were always to reach out to the Gentiles with God’s word.  We today are not to think that God is only going to save just certain people, but we are to reach out to the whole world with the gospel.  No group of people, of their own merit, is better than any other in God’s sight. 

Verse four states, Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.  Isaiah called on the people of Israel no longer be afraid and to forget their shame from before, when they had been enslaved and many women left as widows.   There would be no reason to dwell on these memories any longer, just as there is no reason for us to look back on our lives, which may have been lived in shame before God, once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Since God has forgiven and erased the sins from our slate, we don’t need to allow them to hold us back now. 

Verse five adds, For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.  Isaiah added that God was their husband, since the church is the bride of Christ.  The husband is supposed to be the head of the earthly family, protecting and providing for the family, and God is the head of His family, the church.  He is the Redeemer, the only one that there is.  He is also the Holy One of Israel.  When Jesus Christ came to live, die, and be resurrected for the forgiveness of our sins, He wasn’t some new God.  He was still the God that the people of Israel had worshipped for all those years, and even more than that He was the Creator of everything.  He was to be called the God, not just of Israel, but of the whole earth.  As Christians, it is our responsibility to do our best under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with the whole world. 

Isaiah 53:1

Isaiah 53:1 says, Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?  Though God had sent His word through the prophets, He asked who had believed His report.  He had also revealed His work to the people, but He asked to whom was this revealed.  God through His written word has revealed Himself to the world and through the work of the Holy Spirit.  He makes Himself know to people, but the question is do we believe what God says.  Matthew Henry says instead the prophesy of Isaiah this could becalled the gospel presented by Isaiah.  The first three verses deal with the suffering of Jesus while He was here on earth.

Verse two adds, For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  God said that He was going to raise up a deliverer Who would be like a tender plant growing out of the dry ground, and that people would see nothing in His physical appearance that would draw them to Him.  We don’t really need to know what Jesus looked like physically but need only to acknowledge what He did for all mankind spiritually, even those who reject Him. 

Verse three continues, He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Isaiah clearly stated what was going to happen to Jesus Christ when He came as a man.  He was going to be known as a man of sorrows and would be well acquainted with grief.  I believe most of His sorrow was caused by what the rest of this verse states.  People turned away from Him and despised Him, ending with His crucifixion.  He came as the only true Savior, and people rejected Him calling Him a fake.  Too many people still do that today, even though He is the only way to salvation.  I am sure that this still causes Him sorrow today. 

Verse four states, Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  Matthew Henry says the rest of the chapter tells us about the rolling away of His reproach.  This verse continues to speak about the way that people treated Jesus Christ while He was here on earth, and it was written well before He actually came.  People of the world may have failed to esteem Him going so far as the crucify Him unjustly, but because He died on the cross for us, He is forever esteemed by the Heavenly Father. 

Verse five adds, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  Isaiah continued to speak about how Jesus Christ was going to be wounded and bruised, not for His transgressions but for ours.  Even though it was horrible that this happened, it led to the only way to salvation for anyone and everyone.  The key is that we have to put our faith in that fact and accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  His reproach was rolled away when He arose again as the eternal Savior.  He always was, still is, and always will be the only way to salvation, which is by His restoration of our relationship with the Heavenly Father. 

Verse six continues, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  Isaiah gave the reason why Jesus Christ would have to die in our place.  All we, or everyone, had gone astray, or sinned against God, when we followed our own will instead of God’s will.  Jesus Christ took the iniquity of every person on Himself. Because of His living a life free of sin, He was able to do so, and He is the only One able to do so.  Of course, for His sacrifice to do us any good, we have to put our faith in Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  If we don’t, even though He died for our sins, we will never benefit from His sacrifice.

Verse seven says, He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.  Isaiah, still speaking about things that had yet happened, said that even though Jesus Christ was oppressed and brought like a sheep to slaughter, He did not open His mouth in protest.  When we think of His power, He could have easily said He wasn’t going to do this and destroyed all His enemies with just His word.  We should be eternally grateful that He didn’t but chose to accept His unjust execution. 

Verse eight adds, He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.  Isaiah said that Jesus Christ was taken from prison and judgment and died for the sins of His people, the Jews, and as we know, for the sins of everyone else as well.  He asked also who would declare it to this generation, and as followers of Christ, we need to ask ourselves the same question, and the answer is that we are to carry the gospel to the people of our generation. 

Verse nine continues, And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.  Isaiah said that Jesus was to make His grave with both the wicked and the rich.  Though it wasn’t His grave, He died between two thieves and was buried in a borrowed tomb that likely belonged to a rich man.  What really matters is that Jesus Christ died for everyone, the rich and the poor, and if we accept His gift of salvation, we are all equals. 

Verse ten states, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.  God allowed His only begotten Son, Jeus Christ, to die a physical death for the sins of everyone.  He is the only sacrifice that will ever be acceptable because He, though tempted as all people are, lived without giving in to the temptation of sin. The Heavenly Father allowed His only begotten Son to take on the punishment for our sins.  I can think of no greater act of love and grace than this. 

Verse eleven adds, He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.  Isaiah said that when the Heavenly Father saw the suffering of His Son for the sins of mankind, He would be satisfied that the death penalty for sin had been satisfied.  We can either accept the gift of salvation that He paid provides for us, or we can pay the penalty for ourselves by being separated from God and His mercy forever in the fires of hell. 

Verse twelve continues, Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.  Isaiah said that Jesus Christ would have a portion with the great because of His sacrifices for the sins of all humanity. He was seen as a sinner by the world, and they thought they had killed Him for it, but He was really the Savior of sinners Who willingly laid down His life for them.  It is because of this that He now sits in a position of honor in heaven.  If we accept His gift of salvation, we will one day be there with Him.  If we don’t, we will forever be separated from Him.