Thoughts for the Day

Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.

Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We forget the Hebrew scriptures (our Old Testament) at our peril, for here Isaiah in one of his 'servant songs' prophesies what will be in the future. God will offer an invitation to a Heavenly banquet. Those who are literally dying of thirst will be given all the water they need; and the hungry will be fed for free because, it infers, the payment will already have been made by the suffering servant (the Messiah - God's Son, Jesus). But that is not all. The promise is made not just to Israel for all nations. They will not be treated as second-class citizens at a soup kitchen, but as equal citizens - for the covenant God will make will be for all people.

The need for a decision is urgent. Isaiah repeats the word "Come" four times, followed by "Listen carefully to me", then "Incline your ear", and finally, "Listen, so that you may live". We are to recognise there is a need for urgency, that people should come to God while they have the opportunity. He stresses "Seek the Lord, while he may be found, call upon him while he is near." There is no time to be lost if we wish to seek mercy from God.

But the message is deeper. We are to confess our waywardness, seek mercy, and change the way we live. Then will God have compassion on us.

Lord Jesus Christ,
we come to You this day,
drawn by the message from Isaiah,
and by our circumstances.
We come hesitantly or eagerly,
whichever does not matter,
for we have heard Your voice
calling us to repent
and turn away from our sin.
Create a clean heart in us
that we may change our ways,
and move to the future You offer.
Amen.