God the great evangelist

Isaiah 55:1-9
1 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. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 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. 4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5 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.
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7 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. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Many of us have gone to church services where people have been invited to come forward to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Appeals have been made and the evangelist has called out to people to come forward to be embraced by God and receive salvation. Some of us came to faith in such moments of invitation and appeal.
Here we see an invitation that comes from God himself. Yahweh is the evangelist calling out to us. He says:
Come, Come, Come
Listen, Listen
Delight, Incline
See, See
Seek, forsake, Return
Twelve imperative commands are here. Twelve heartfelt appeals out of the heart of God are here given. A cry from Yahweh to Israel to complete their destination as God’s chosen people by responding to His call in faith. This is a call to trust in God’s mercy and repent. It is an appeal to be reconciled to Yahweh.
The promises are clear. God is inviting us to a free spiritual feast. We will find mercy, pardon, steadfast love, covenant, and the nations converted to a son of David. In God’s love and promises to David, He will now bring hope and salvation to all of His people. He warns us to try to buy the kingdom with our own righteousness or from the idols of the nations is insanity. Only in the covenant of grace do we have hope.
God knows that the way of grace is not something that is the way of our broken humanity. The hardest concept for us to accept is that we have failed so badly morally that we need pardon. We are suspicious of mercy and feel more at home relating to God based on justice alone. Yahweh’s choice of grace is both what gives us hope and what most confuses us about Him. Yet, He asks us to trust in His goodness and not refuse His appeal. He hungers and thirst for our salvation more than we do.
So what will we do in response to this intense and passionate appeal? How will our hearts respond? Are we ready to accept God’s invitation to feast with Him?
Christological - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)

Moral-Seek the Lord and forsake wickedness

Eternal - And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God." (Revelation 19:9 ESV)


Prayer: Lord let me listen and respond to your love.


Contemplation: God is seeking me.

Action: Focus on God’s love for you and see it as greater than your love for God.