Isaiah 55:1-5 - Divine sustenance is promised in Christ

In Isaiah 55 we see a divine invitation to partake of the blessings of God. Just as He had invited the people of Judah to come and taste of His mercy, He is also extending this invitation to all who hunger after them. Here He promises water, wine, and milk, symbols of spiritual life, joy, and provision.

Remember Jesus promises that those who believe in Him shall experience rivers of flowing water gushing from his inner being. Now life, abundant life is what we will have when we come to Christ. We know that wine has always been a symbol of joy and this is one of the fruits of a spirit-led life, according to Paul in Galatians 5:22. When God took the Israelites out of Egypt, He promised to take them to a land flowing with milk and honey. It is a promise of provision. Bread and milk are used to symbolize spiritual nourishment. So here we see abundant life, joy, and spiritual nourishment are all made available in Christ. All these are available to us free of charge. They come by the grace of God, making them freely and abundantly available to all who will come to Him.   

The condition that can drive us to seek the promised water, wine, and milk will be an inner desire. It is true that our strongest actions in life are where our desire stirs the deepest. However, we, like many others, tend to desire after things that can never satisfy our inner longings. So here God admonishes us in verse 2 not to spend our effort, time, and money chasing after what can never satisfy when He has made what can satisfy readily available to us in the Messiah. In verses 2-3, we see the pre-requisites prescribed if we are to obtain these blessings. We need to draw near with a listening ear and a yearning heart. Once we do that, we will enter into an eternal covenant and experience the sure mercies of David.  

How to make sense of all these promises God has made in these verses? The last part of verse 3 gives us the hint. The key is in the everlasting covenant God will make with us in the Messiah from the linage of David. Of course, He is none other than Jesus Christ our Lord. In Him, the faithful mercies shown to David will culminate. And He will be the witness, the leader, and the commander of His people. He will be the attraction that nations will be drawn to and willingly embrace His leadership and mission.

God has made all these spiritual blessings in Christ for us His children. What can make us receive them is spiritual hunger and thirst. Isn’t this what Christ said in one of the “Be attitudes”? He said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” The provisions of God are there in Christ, but do we hunger and thirst after them?  We must draw near with a listening ear and a yearning heart. We shall be satisfied in His presence!