Friday, September 24, 2010

Isaiah 55

1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
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 let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David.
4 Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,
A leader and commander for the people.
5 Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
Because of the LORD your God,
And the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
6 Seek the LORD while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the LORD,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
8 “ For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “ For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “ For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress 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.”

5 comments:

Jennie said...

I love the part that says the word of the Lord falls like rain from heaven and make the earth bring forth and bud, to give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. The word of God is our bread because it it the revelation and voice of the Word Himself, our Savior, whose blood was shed to cleanse us from sin and give us life.

Jennie said...

The name Hadassah, which was the Hebrew name of Esther in the Bible, means Myrtle tree. The myrtle tree is mentioned in this passage as one of the trees that "shall be to the LORD for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."
Esther can be seen as a type of the church, which is the queen and bride of Christ, and which God uses, along with her kinsman Mordecai, to save His people Israel in their time of testing. I think Mordecai is a type of Christ, our guardian and encourager who is always near us while we are here on earth carrying our cross, as Esther did when she risked her life to save her people.

Jennie said...

Mordecai can mean 'pure myrrh' in Aramaic, and also 'little man' in Hebrew. Myrrh is the aromatic resin used in incense. Incense can symbolize the prayers of the saints. The saints of Israel were crying out to God for help in the book of Esther. Mordecai is the one who watches over Esther and encourages her to depend on God and risk her life for the people of God that are in danger by the enemy.

Christine said...

There's that water metaphor again for us, Jennie. The Holy Spirit must be speaking in a special way in our struggles. as you pointed out, and I've been thinking about since, God's life-giving water runs to the lowest places of our lives even to my husband paralyzed arm and hand. Trust is a concept that keeps coming to my attention too, and Esther certainly is an inspiring example.

Jennie said...

Yes, as we learn to trust in Him alone, He shows Himself to be more than sufficient for all our needs.
I've been praying for you and your husband often for help and healing and trust.