So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.[1]
The compassion and mercy of the Lord
Isaiah 55:6-13 NRSV
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. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Adam Clarke
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found
Rabbi David Kimchi gives the true sense of this passage: “Seek ye the Lord, because he may be found: call upon him, because he is near. Repent before ye die, for after death there is no conversion of the soul.”[2]
Matthew Henry
Here is a gracious offer of pardon, and peace, and of all happiness. It shall not be in vain to seek God, now his word is calling to us, and his Spirit is striving with us. But there is a day coming when he will not be found. There may come such a time in this life; it is certain that at death and judgment the door will be shut. There must be not only a change of the way, but a change of the mind. We must alter our judgments about persons and things. It is not enough to break off from evil practices; we must strive against evil thoughts. To repent is to return to our Lord, against whom we have rebelled. If we do so, God will multiply to pardon, as we have multiplied to offend. But let none trifle with this plenteous mercy or use it as an occasion to sin. Men’s thoughts concerning sin, Christ, and holiness, concerning this world and the other, vastly differ from God’s; but in nothing more than in the matter of pardon. We forgive and cannot forget; but when God forgives sin, he remembers it no more.[3]
Derek Kidner
If man is hungry and needs satisfying, he is also wicked and needs salvation. God’s calling and seeking must be matched by those of the sinner. Verse 7 is a classic statement of repentance, challenging the mind (cf. the NT word for ‘repentance’) and the will, the habits (way) and the plans (implied in the Hebrew for thoughts). It is both negative (forsake) and positive (turn), personal (to the Lord) and specific (for mercy); and its appeal is reinforced by the shortness of the time (6) and the sheer generosity of the promise (7).[4]
Robert Chisholm
If the nation actively sought the Lord and turned from their wicked ways, He would compassionately forgive their sins. They could depend on this merciful response, for God’s word of promise, unlike sinful human plans, is always realized. Just as rain does not reverse its course but falls to the ground and makes the farmer’s crops fruitful, so God does not take back His word of promise but rather brings it to fulfillment. The Lord would shower repentant Israel with abundant blessings, which would be an eternal sign of their renewed relationship.[5]
“To Be a Christian” Anglican Catechism[6]
Question #1
What is the human condition?
Though created good and made for fellowship with our Creator, humanity has been cut off from God by self-centered rebellion against him, leading to lawless living, guilt, shame, death, and the fear of judgment. This is the state of sin.
Question #2
What is the Gospel?
The Gospel is the good news that God loves the world and offers salvation from sin through his Son, Jesus Christ.
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.[7]
Softly and Tenderly
O God, who in your loving-kindness both begins and finishes all good things: grant that as we now glory in the beginnings of your grace, so we may hereafter rejoice in its completion; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[8]
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Ro 8:1–2.
[2] Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes, New Edition, vol. 4 (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife Corporation, 2014), 212.
[3] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Is 55:6.
[4] F. Derek Kidner, “Isaiah,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 664.
[5] Robert B. Chisholm, “The Major Prophets,” in Holman Concise Bible Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 287–288.
[6] TO BE A CHRISTIAN: AN ANGLICAN CATECHISM Copyright © 2020 by The Anglican Church in North America
[7] TO BE A CHRISTIAN: AN ANGLICAN CATECHISM Copyright © 2020 by The Anglican Church in North America
[8] From the Leonine Sacramentary, Ancient Christian Devotional Year A, p. 169.
