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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