What if you opened your mailbox one day to see a thick, cream-colored envelope among the ads and bills. Your name and address have been hand-calligraphed in gold ink, and an intricate seal is embossed upon the flap.
Inside you find an elegant invitation, announcing a grand celebration at the palace of a highly-respected and beloved king.
“Come!” proclaims his request. “Come and enjoy an unlimited feast with me; come drink the finest wine. There is no cost to you.”
Would you attend? Surely you’d quickly return your R.S.V.P. with “YES” clearly marked!
Such a scenario is fiction, of course, except for one fact: God Almighty, the King of the universe, is a monarch to be highly-respected and beloved–above all others.
And he has issued an invitation to everyone–not just to a single banquet–but to a continual feast in his divine, spiritual kingdom. He bids us to come and enjoy a new, God-enhanced life.
Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters;
and you without money, come, buy, and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
–Isaiah 55:1 HCSB
This invitation, proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah on behalf of our King, does include some puzzling statements. For example, why would he invite us “to the waters?” And what will we find there?
Just as water brings life and abundance in the realm of plants and trees, Christ’s living water provides soul-satisfying life and joyful abundance for us—the abundance of innumerable blessings [1].
And what about the wine that God says we can “buy without money?” Does it represent more than a celebratory drink? Oh yes! Wine is a metaphor here for spiritual joy, “a joy unspeakable and full of glory”[2] as we taste the goodness of God’s love.
And what about milk?
God would have us understand: his invitation to kingdom-living includes those entities that sustain our spirits, including encouragement, strength, instruction, and help. We find all that and more in the nourishment of His Word, the Bible [3].
Puritan author and preacher, Thomas Brooks (1608-1680) wrote:
The Word of the Lord is a light to guide you, a counselor to counsel you, a comforter to comfort you, a staff to support you, a sword to defend you, and a physician to cure you. The Word is a mine to enrich you, a robe to clothe you, and a crown to crown you.–Thomas Brooks
Countless Jesus-followers who read the Bible, study it, and meditate on its truths can affirm that Brooks is right; they’ve experienced time and again the life-changing power of God’s Word. That includes many of you reading this post.
In addition to his perpetual-banquet invitation, God includes these instructions:
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good.
Let your soul delight in abundance.
Incline your ear [to listen] and come to Me;
hear, so that your soul may live.
–Isaiah 55:2b-3a AMP
To listen carefully includes the action of follow-through. And what would God have us do? “Eat what is good”—that is, experience the fullness of his goodness as we follow his ways, and take delight in the abundance of his blessings.
Then our souls can really live in the security and satisfaction he desires for us, in every moment of the present–and into eternity. And in the final analysis, isn’t that what we desire also?
All we need do is come.
* * * * * * * * * *
I praise you, my King, for your open invitation to come and feast upon all the good things you offer. You prepare a table before me of forgiveness, salvation, peace, joy, strength, comfort, contentment, purpose, and more.
No amount of money on earth could purchase such priceless, heavenly gifts that you so freely give to those who simply COME. I will praise your name for ever and ever!
(Luke 13:29; Psalm 107:9; Psalm 23:5; Ephesians 3:20; Psalm 145:1b)
Have you accepted God’s invitation? If not, will you do so today [4]?
If you have, what goodness and delights have you tasted at his table? Please share in the Comments section below!
[1] David Gusik, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/isaiah-55/. See a starter-list of twenty-six examples: God’s Goodness from A to Z.
[2] Selwyn Hughes, Seasons of the Lord, 42.
[3] 1 Peter 2:2.
[4] See https://billygraham.org/answer/how-do-you-become-a-real-christian/ for a simple explanation and a prayer to guide you. Do it today—you’ll be so glad you did!
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Nancy, I have experienced everything you describe, and it’s indescribably wonderful. But it did cost me something, something I had to leave at the door – self. I had to face the fact that I was a sinner, and I had to leave that old self-centered life behind. But He has enabled me to, and helped me along the way whenever I’m tempted to take it up again. The sum total of what I “gave up” is worthless compared to the awesome privilege of being a child of the King. ❤️
Wonderfully said! 🙂
Couldn’t agree more, Nancy!
AMEN, Annie! Couldn’t agree with you more, that what we “give up” is worthless compared to what we gain as children of the King. Thank you for adding your wise insight, my friend!
God is, or should be, our everything, Nancy. When the Greatest King invites us to dine with Him, who are we to turn Him down? To paraphrase Paul, I count all as lost but my devotion to Jesus. He is our Rock and our Salvation!
Blessings!
Amen, Martha! 🙂
Absolutely, Martha! Once again, I hate to think where I’d be without him.
I cherish my invitation! Thank you, Nancy, for reminding others to check their spiritual mail! 🙂
Love the way you continued the metaphor, Nancy! I too cherish my invitation. It arrived a long time ago when I was just four years old, but I understood enough that Jesus’ offer of eternal life in heaven was something I wanted to accept.
Thankful I’ve chosen to accept the invitation of dining with our King…I pray for those who have not accepted that most wonderful gift!!
Great post of encouragement!!
We pray the same. Praise God he doesn’t want ANYONE to perish either (2 Peter 3:9).
And one of the best parts of that RSVP is that they allow for unlimited guests! Thank you for sharing, Nancy!
Yes, that Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9) is surely going to be the biggest party ever!
Nancy, this is a beautiful post! We are so blessed to have received an invitation like this from the King of Kings. I have never heard of Thomas Brooks, but I love his quote.
I love that quote too. Just reading it lifts the spirit, as Brooks reminds us of all the ways the Bible ministers to us. Praise God for the gift of his Word!
It’s a beautiful invitation and God spread it out from Genesis to Revelation! He is so good!
TT
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Indeed, our God’s goodness overflows so abundantly, he has to store it up (Psalm 31:19)!
Great reminder and isn’t the word invitation wonderful? I know it is one of my favorites to be reminded how God invites us closer all the time.
Amen, Jean. Praising God with you that his invitation is ongoing, to “come further up, come further in” (C. S. Lewis) to his presence and closer relationship with him!
I am so thankful for God’s invitation to me, most underserving of such love as I am. I am so thankful, too, for the treasure of God’s Word in my life. My Bible is like a gift box and every time I open it I am the recipient of such beautiful gifts from Him. Partaking of God’s truths in scripture is a feast indeed, provided by Him, and I am so thankful for it. Thank you, Nancy, for yet another powerful post.
I feel the same way Patty–undeserving yet highly privileged to be in relationship with God Almighty! With you, I praise God for His Word–an incredible treasure of wisdom, encouragement, and instruction. It amazes me that the contents, written centuries ago, are still highly relevant today.
I see water as a cleansing element,, so I guess you could call it a multi-faceted metaphor in this use. And what I find interesting about the invitation is, there are many who have accepted it (me, I think/hope) but many more who have also affirmed that invitation. Something in their lives has actually brought them to the table already, evidenced by the way they live their lives. I admire (and aspire to be) like one of them.
Yes, indeed, some of the water-metaphors in the Bible do provide imagery of cleansing, especially of sin. One prime example, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin . . . If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:7b, 9 NLT). Those of us who accept God’s invitation can know they’ve been accepted, based on such assurances as 1 John 4:15-16: “All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” You are right, Dave, the way we live our lives ought to reflect that God lives in us. As we spend time with him, in meditation on his Word and in prayer, he works transformation in us (Philippians 1:6, 2:13). Praise God, we don’t have to perform it on ourselves! He meets us at our point of submission (Romans 12:1-2). I’m still a work-in-progress too!
Beautiful post…thank you for sharing this with us. As scripture tells us, “God’s mercies are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
Praise God his mercies are “new every morning” like the sunrise–consistent, yet full of surprise and creativity as well! (A thought inspired by Eugene Peterson from one of his books–I can’t remember which one!) Thank you, Linda!
Hi Nancy–I love your imagery in this blog, and the explanations you give for different components of the feast. I especially love the scripture—the true feast for the soul. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and your excellent handling of words, and God’s words. Well done!!
Thank you Katie for your encouragement, and praise God for his inspiration!
Wow. Has there ever been such a simple, powerful, needed invitation. Yes, yes, Lord!
Amen, Linda!
Amen 🙏🤗 Beautiful Post ♥️