An Invitation to Return to the Lord (Part 3)

Introduction

God made you toexperience a close relationship with him and to show the world his goodnessthrough your life. But like Adam and Eve, the first man and woman made by God,and like the nation of Israel, whom God chose to be his people, we have allturned away from God in our hearts. We have chosen worldly pursuits and donewicked things.

After manyyears of turning away from God, the nation of Israel was about to enter aperiod of seventy years as refugees in the faraway empire of Babylon. Just asGod had sent Adam and Eve away from the Garden of Eden, so he was about to sendaway the nation of Israel from their Promised Land.

Before he sentaway Adam and Eve, he promised that he would ultimately crush sin at its root(Gen 3:15). In a similar way, he gave Israel the promise of a futurerestoration to their land on the other side of their captivity (Isa 55:12-13).

Like Adam andEve in the beginning, and like the nation of Israel during the ministry ofIsaiah the prophet, do you need to return to a close relationship with theLord?

Perhaps you arelike the people of Israel. Perhaps you have done wicked things and have beenentertaining the wrong kind of thoughts (Isa 55:7). If this is you and youreturn to the LORD, then you may be surprised by how he responds to you. Hewill show compassion to you and forgive you completely (Isa 55:7).

But how can weknow that this is true? After all, it’s a frightening and intimidating thing toapproach the one true God, who is holy (Isa 55:5).

As though hewere anticipating these kinds of thoughts and questions from the nation ofIsrael, God provided them with a series of reasons why they should take him upon this offer of complete forgiveness – no matter how disinterested or howafraid they might be.

He thinks and behaves differently than his people.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

and neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.

Isaiah 55:8

The first reasonfor Israel to respond to the LORD is that he thinks and acts differently thanhis people. His thoughts and his ways are not like theirs. In fact, bymentioning his thoughts and ways, he draws a strong contrast with the wickedthoughts and ways of his people, which Isaiah had mentioned before in v. 7 (דֶּ֫רֶךְand מַחֲשָׁבָה).

To make thismost believable, the LORD endorses personally what he is saying by adding thistagline: “says the LORD” (נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָֽה). This divine endorsement is important because it draws a cleardistinction with how his people would naturally respond to confession of guilt.It also draws a distinction from how other gods would supposedly respond.

How do selfish, wicked people respond to aperson’s confession of guilt? Often with harshness and retribution. Yet that isnot how God responds when his people return to him. He thinks and behavesdifferently than sinful people and pagan gods would do – not with harshness orretribution, but with compassion and extreme forgiveness instead.

(This remindsme of the parable that Jesus told about when a father forgave his rebelliousson when he returned home, but the boy’s brother resented his him instead, Lk15:22-32.)

He thinks and behaves more nobly than his people.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways,

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:9

The LORD increasesthe contrast between him on one hand and wicked people and false gods on theother. He describes his thoughts and ways as not only different, but superior.

His superiorway of thinking and acting provides yet another reason (כִּי)to expect complete forgiveness from the LORD. This verse also gives extraemphasis because it is the only tricolon (a set of three lines rather than two)in the entire chapter.

To illustrate howhis way of thinking and behaving is superior, the LORD switches from amarketplace scene (as in vv. 1-3) to the great outdoors. He describes histhoughts and ways as towering far above our own thoughts and ways – as high asthe canopy of the sky (שָׁמַיִם) is above the earth (אֶרֶץ).In fact, he paints this illustration with words in a special way, with a poetictechnique called chiasm. This means that the first and fifth lines aresimilar, the second and fourth are similar, and the middle/third line receivescenter focus:

>A1        For my thoughts are not your thoughts

>>B1        And neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD

>>> C          As the heavens are higher than the earth

>>B2        So are my ways higher than your ways

>A2        And my thoughts than your thoughts

When you turnaway from your worldly pursuits and wicked lifestyle and return to the LORD, hewill respond to you in a much higher and far superior way than wicked peopleand so-called gods will do. He is so eager to forgive you that he tells you allthis ahead of time, with great emotion and amazing poetry, to encourage you tocome back to him.

God’s responseto confession and repentance of sin is far more majestic and honorable thananyone else, whether human or divine. This adds new meaning to what David taughtmany years before: “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psa 19:1). Thisillustration is so appropriate that he expands it even further, so we’ll thinkabout it even more.

His offer of forgiveness meets the most basic needs of his people.

For as the rain and snow come down from heaven,

and does not return there, but drench the earth,

and make it bring forth and prosper,

even giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

Isaiah 55:10

This verseintroduces a third reason (כִּי) to expect acompassionate, forgiving response from the LORD. Instead of focusing on the differenceand superiority of God’s thoughts and ways, he focuses on the effectiveness ofhis word. Specifically, this “word” (v. 11) is the offer he has given in thischapter – of abundant life to those who return to him.

He describes theeffectiveness of his word by mentioning how rain (גֶּ֫שֶׁם)and snow (שֶׁ֫לֶג) come down (ירד)from the sky. Rain and snow are the ways that water (precipitation) comes downto the earth all year long. Just as we receive April showers in New York Cityevery year, his word is always reliable.

This verse highlightswhat happens when rain and snow fall on the ground. They do not return to thesky, but they soak into ground instead. The word drench (רוה)speaks of “giving someone his fill to drink,” which reminds us of the LORD’s extravagantopening appeal to people who are spiritually thirsty (v. 1).

The second partof this verse extends this illustration even further, helping this truth “soakinto your heart” even deeper, just as water soaks into the ground.

Water benefitsboth the earth (the “it” in the first line) and the people who live there (the“sower” and the “eater.” This is important because without rain and snow, plantlife would never grow, and people like you would have no water to drink or foodto eat.

Moreimportantly, without the compassion and forgiveness of God, we would have nohope of spiritual life or of a relationship with him. But like rain and snow,he sends this offer of forgiveness, and his forgiveness makes a vibrantspiritual life and relationship with him possible, even after we’ve turned awayfrom him.

His offer of forgiveness succeeds at everything he intends to do.

So is my word which comes out from my mouth –

it will not return to me without success;

but it will accomplish whatever I desire,

and it will succeed at whatever I have sent it [to do].

Isaiah 55:11

To make surethat we understand the purpose of this illustration, the LORD tells us why hegave it. He says, כֵּן (“so, likewise”),showing how this illustration is like his offer of forgiveness. By adding thephrase “out from my mouth,” God gives a guarantee that he said it, so you can takeit as an authentic offer, not a fake one.

In the secondline, he uses the word שׁוּב (“return”) for the thirdtime in the chapter. His word is not like his people, who do not always returnto him; he sends them into the world, and they turn away from him, so he musttell them to return (see שׁוּב in v. 7).

But when hesends his word into the world, it always returns to him only after it accomplishedits purpose (v. 8). This is like the way that water eventually returns to thesky through evaporation – but only after it nourishes the ground.

In the last twolines of this verse, the LORD expands this illustration beyond his immediateoffer of forgiveness to “whatever he desires” and “whatever he sends it to do.”

Therefore, allthe commands of God are successful, just as when he spoke the worlds and allliving things into existence in the beginning (Gen 1). And all his offers arereliable just the same. If he promises to forgive you, then he will forgiveyou. If he promises to give you an abundant life in the future, then he will doso for sure.

He will lead you into insuppressible joy and complete satisfaction.

For you will go out with joy,

and you will be led forward in peace.

The mountains and the hills will burst out with a shout of joy before you,

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:12

What will bethe final result of returning to the LORD and receiving his forgiveness? That’swhat vv. 12-13 describe. Verse 12 says that God will lead you intoinsuppressible joy and complete satisfaction.

He is speakingspecifically to the nation of Israel who was about to be removed from theirhomeland to become captives in faraway Babylon. In his promise, he does not offerto take away their captivity. Even if they returned to the LORD, they wouldstill go through it. Instead, he promised to liberate them in the end.

When he says,“You will go out,” he speaks of Israel going out from captivity. This resembleshow he said that his word “goes out” from his mouth. Their future liberationwas as sure as the words which he had spoken.

Beyond theirfuture liberation from Babylon, God promised a different liberation in whichthey would be liberated from the oppression of this world forever. This finalliberation would bring about amazing results marked by insuppressible joy and totalsatisfaction.

The word joy(שִׂמְחָה) describes the emotionthat comes along with an inner, personal transformation. It is the emotion ofextreme happiness, the kind of happiness you feel when you experience theextreme forgiveness of God.

It is also thekind of emotion that produces special outward effects. This word (שִׂמְחָה)describes joyful voice, joyful cries, and even joyful feasts and banquets. It’sthe kind of happiness that shouts out loud and throws big, spontaneous partiesfor a good reason!

(This remindsme of the parable that Jesus told of a party that a father threw to celebratewhen his rebellious son returned home, Lk 15:22-32.)

It seems thatthe LORD wants his people to envision this feeling of joy in the mostunimaginable ways. He says that even the mountains and hills would burst outwith shouts and songs, and all the trees (not just some of them) would claptheir hands in jubilation.

It’s verylikely that this description is given for dramatic effect, since mountainsdon’t have voices and trees don’t have hands. But is it possible that naturewill make exuberant noises of some kind? Only God knows for sure. What we doknow is that God’s people will experience uncontainable joy when he liberatesthem forever.

The second lineof this verse also mentions peace (שָׁלוֹם),which refers to being completely prosperous, satisfied, and safe. This toodescribes a new relationship between God and his people. He will lead them intothis peaceful existence forever. This peace, safety, and prosperity will be intheir hearts as never before, but it will also change the world.

He will reverse the curse of sin forever.

Instead of the thorn bush, a cypress tree will come up;

instead of the stinging nettle, a myrtle tree will come up.

And this will be to the LORD for a name,

for an everlasting sign which will never be cut off.

Isaiah 55:13

The final verseof this chapter ties the beginning of our greatest problem – sin – with its finalresolution. It points ahead to the final result of God’s complete forgiveness.Not only will he liberate his people forever, but he will banish sin and allits effects forever as well.

From thisverse, we see that God’s offer of forgiveness is more like rain and snow thanyou may have realized, for it will make the ground prosper more than everbefore (v. 11).

In that futureage of liberation, evergreen trees will grow up “in place of” (תַּ֫חַת,a strong contrastive conjunction) thorny plants. The words thorn (נַעֲצוּץ) and brier (סִרְפָּד) both refer to a thorny, bush-likeplants. This detail speaks to us on two different levels.

On a surfacelevel, it reveals a wonderful world filled with lush, green foliage. This worldwill be free from weeds and thorns of every kind. Imagine a world without weeds!

But there is a deeperroot level to this promise as well. Removing thorns from the world in the endreminds us of how they got here in the beginning. When Adam and Eve sinned, thecurse of sin entered the world, affecting everything in it. God said, “Cursedis the ground for your sake … both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth foryou, and you shall eat the herb of the field” (Gen 3:17-18).

So here inIsaiah 55:13, God promises to revoke the curse of sin. What’s more, he would dothis forever. This verse gives us at four reasons for saying this.

First, both cypress(בְרוֹשׁ) and myrtle (הֲדַס) refer to evergreen trees, meaning that thorny plants would bereplaced by plants that will stay green forever (emphasis on forever).

Second, the lasthalf of this verse says that these trees would be an everlasting sign. Sotoday, when you see rain and snow fall from the sky, it should remind you ofGod’s promise of complete forgiveness. But when that day finally comes, you willlook at the evergreen trees all over the world as an everlasting reminder thatGod fulfilled his word.

Third, thisverse ends by saying this everlasting sign would “never be cut off.” This meansit will never end. No one or nothing that anyone can say or do that can reversethis endless experience of joy and peace with God, in a world free from thecurse of sin forever.

Fourth, thisverse highlights the everlasting nature of God’s promise in a poetic way. Inthe first half of the verse, it says “will come up” twice. If you are readingthis verse aloud in Hebrew, these words sound almost identical to the Hebrewword for everlasting – עָלָה and עוֹלָם. This is one more way –using a poetic device – for God to draw your attention to the fact that thisfuture restoration would be forever.

Ultimately,this renewed world and the close relationship with God that accompanies it willserve a far greater purpose than the forgiveness of God’s people. First andforemost, it will be for the LORD (v. 13). But how will it be for the LORD? Itwill be for a “name” for him, which means that it will for his reputation evenmore than it will be for our satisfaction (v. 13). What’s more, it will be amemorial (or “sign”) that will never end.

Conclusion

Like the nationof Israel during the ministry of Isaiah the prophet, do you need to return to aclose relationship with the Lord? Are you chasing after worldly goals andexperimenting with a wicked lifestyle? If so, you need to turn to return to theLORD today (Isa 55:6). He will not destroy you, but he will forgive youcompletely instead.

Furthermore, asyou consider the way that God offers complete forgiveness to his people, youshould consider whether you offer the same kind of forgiveness to one another.Has anyone wronged you? If they have sought your forgiveness, did you give itto them like the LORD does, or did you give them a less honorable form offorgiveness?

Perhaps someoneis afraid to ask your forgiveness. Speak to them soon and give them an offer ofcomplete forgiveness that they can’t refuse. Encourage them in a compassionateway to return to a close relationship with you.

Finally, likethe nation of Israel preparing to be refugees in a foreign country, are youdiscouraged by a bleak future ahead of you? Be encouraged by considering thejoyful, peaceful world that is coming and the close relationship with God youwill enjoy in that world forever. The curse of sin will be lifted forever, andall the world will be new once again.

With a futurelike that, you can face any hardships tomorrow, even if they are theconsequences of your past sins. So what are you waiting for? It’s time toreturn to the LORD.