Isaiah 55:3

Incline your ear

God’s voice

To incline your ear and hearken diligently unto God is to follow the Divine teachings as to the aims and methods of life.

And God has a thousand voices for those who will hearken.

1. The voice of experience is His, and experience is loud and emphatic in assuring us that “if we live after the flesh we shall die; but if we, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body we shall live.”

2. The voice in the heart and conscience is His, and if you will listen in the silence of the mind you will hear the sweet parental accents speaking to your deepest filial affection, and saying, “My son, give Me thine heart.”

3. And the voice of inspiration is His, speaking through those who have seen most deeply into the Divine meaning of life, and the conclusion of the whole matter with them has been, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

4. And the voice of Christ” is the voice of God, and.” “Jesus stood and cried,, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. (C. Short, M. A.)

“Incline your ear"

Hold it near the mouth of the gracious Speaker. Be willing to hear what God has to say. Take out that wool of prefudice that has prevented you from hearkening to God’s voice.(C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Divine call and promise

The institution of public worship derives a peculiar value from its tendency to dispose men to the voice of God

I. THE GRACIOUS PROPOSAL ON THE PART OF GOD. “I will make an everlasting covenant with you,” etc. The covenant here proposed is a covenant of promise, that is, a covenant in which God promises to bestow freely upon His creatures a variety of the greatest and most necessary blessings. Two things here call for our attention--

1. The extent here specified of the engagements of the covenant. “The sure mercies of David.” This covenant was first discovered to Adam, more fully to Abraham, still more so to David, who was an eminent type of Christ.

Now Christ, the spiritual David, is come; what these sure mercies are, we know more fully. But they are “sure mercied,” which lead to:

2. The ground of dependence. The covenant is founded upon the goodness of God. Think of the fidelity of His promises; of His ability; of the pledge He has given us. “He that spared not His own Son,” etc. Think of the great cloud of witnesses who all testify to the Divine character, and speak the mercies to them without exception. Sure in the effects they produce. Sure in all changes. These never fail. Sure in another state of existence, for it is an everlasting covenant administered by an Eternal Being.

II. THE MEANS OF OUR SECURING THESE SURE MERCIES OF DAVID. “Incline your car, and come unto Me.”

1. The Person speaking ought to induce attention. It is the Lord, our Maker, Preserver, Redeemer.

2. The interest we have in the subject ought to induce attention.

3. Our attention must lead us to God. “Incline your ear, and come unto Me.

4. The amazing issues which depend on our obedience should lead us at once to obey. “Hear, and your soul shall live.” (J. Bolton, B. A.)

God’s own Gospel call

This very memorable chapter may be called God’s own Gospel sermon.

I. TWO SAVING PRECEPTS, which are pressed upon you. These are of simple character.

1. “Incline your ear.” This is placed in another form, “Hearken diligently unto Me; hear, and your soul shall live. You have ears to hear w t therefore-hear. Consider and think upon eternal things. Think about Divine matters as God sets them before you. This attention, this hearkening, must be hearty, honest, continual, earnest and believing.

2. The second precept grows out of the first: “Come unto Me. “How can I come to God?’ saith one.

1. Come, at least, by thinking much of Him.

2. Come, by your desires.

3. Come, by confession of sin.

4. Come, in humble, believing prayer. These are the two precepts--“Hear” and “Come.” They are neither exacting norunreasonable.

II. To encourage you, and come to my second head, which deals with SAVING PROMISES. Here are two promises corresponding to the two precepts--

1. “Your soul shall live.”

2. “I will make an everlasting covenant with you.”

(1) Observe, how He promises condescending intercourse. It is in the Hebrew, “I will cut a covenant. Covenants were made by cutting a victim in two, and they who made a covenant passed between the two halves of the sacrifice to make the covenant sure. The Lord, in effect, says, “Poor, wretched sinner, you that have not a penny to buy water with, if you will come to Me, I will enter into a sacred agreement and covenant with you.

(2) God is ready to enter into a binding contract with you.

(3) God will thus enter into an unending alliance with you.

(4) We liken what He gives to the sinner to what He did to David (2 Samuel 23:5). The covenant is all in Christ.

III. Urge the Lord’s own SAVING PLEAS.

1. God Himself speaks to you.

2. Your day of mercy is not ended (Isaiah 55:6).

3. He is ready and willing to forgive the whole of your past offences (Isaiah 55:7).

4. Then comes in the great persuasive of the magnanimity of God (Isaiah 55:8).

5. Hear how the Lord pleads the power of His Gospel (Isaiah 55:10). Hearken to God’s voice, and let it enter your heart; then it will quicken and save you as surely as the sun and the rain water the earth.

6. The Lord persuades men to come to Him by telling them of the joy they will obtain in coming (Isaiah 55:12).

7. He calls you to Him by the effectual nature of His work (Isaiah 55:13). (C. H.Spurgeon.)

God’s call to the needy and sinful

I. AN INVITATION, addressed to us by Jehovah Himself, to hearken diligently unto Him, to incline our ear, and to come to Him. There is something peculiarly touching in the invitations of the Word of God, which, if men would but pause and reflect, could not fail to make an impression upon their hearts. “Hearken diligently unto Me,” God says; “incline your ear. He would take you, as it were, each one separately by himself, and reason and counsel with you. The matters of which He would treat with you are too important to be handled in a crowd, too sacred to be discussed amid the noise and bustle of worldly avocations. The Lord will have sinners “come” to Him; He will have all distance annihilated between your souls and Him; He will have you brought into the closest relationship and communion with Himself; He will have you not only within hearing of His voice, but in His very embrace.

II. THE REASONS FOR OUR CLOSING WITH THIS INVITATION are two, and each of them is very weighty.

1. You will be vast gainers if you follow the leadings of the Divine Spirit, and go into conference with God, and embrace His terms. Your soul shall delight itself in fatness. Your soul shall live.”

2. To refuse the offer is to lose the soul. (A. B. Davidson, D. D.)

Salvation through the ear

God hath ordained--as it were to cross the devil--that as death entered into the world through the car, by our first parents listening to that old man-slayer, so should life enter into the soul by the same door. (J. Trapp.)

Hear, and your soul shall live

The highest life

Life is more than mere existence; it is the natural, healthful, and joyous activity of every part of the being. It is eternal life. (Christian Age.)

The way to life

I. THE MESSAGE IMPLIED. When we are commanded to “hear,” it is supposed that something is spoken: there is a voice which, in one way or other, addresses us. This is none else than the voice of Jehovah, the God of truth, the God of love, the God of all patience and consolation. He speaks to us in His good Word.

II. THE REGARD WHICH THIS MESSAGE DEMANDS. “Hear.” There can be no impropriety in understanding this literally; and, in this view, it condemns such as do not hear the Gospel when it is brought to them, and they have the opportunity of hearing it. It also reproves such as only occasionally hear the Gospel But more is meant by hearing, in the text, than your presence in the place where the Gospel is preached.

1. Hear with attention. Thus the expression is varied, both in this and the preceding verse: “Hearken diligently unto Me; incline your ear,” as persons peculiarly and closely attentive. Some marks of inattention, under the sound of the Gospel, are obvious enough. But we cannot always judge of attention by outward appearances. Then, will you hear with attention, when you arc deeply convinced of the truth of what you hear; when you feel its vast importance; when you are thoroughly satisfied that the word of the Gospel is indeed the Word of God.

2. Hear with affection. It is a great thing to love the Gospel. When the Gospel is heard affectionately, there is an earnest concern to enjoy its invaluable blessings: prejudice falls before it; there is a growing conformity to it.

3. Hear with believing application.

4. Hear with obedient compliance. This, indeed, is nearly allied to what has last been mentioned, yet it includes something farther. Thus it is said, “Incline your ear, and come unto Me” not only believe that these blessings of salvation are adapted to your state, and ready for your reception, but apply to Him who has them to bestow. He is “the Author of eternal salvation;” to whom? “to all them that obey Him.’

5. Hear with humble prayer.

III. THE ADVANTAGE PROMISED. “Your soul shall live.” Several things are here observable.

1. It is a personal advantage. Many advantages are relative and distant. Persons may attend to various means with a view to the good of others. But this advantage is personally your own.

2. It is a spiritual advantage. Your “soul.” To benefit the body is something; to preserve its life, to maintain and to improve its health, are objects of real moment; but they sink into nothing compared with what relates to the soul.

3. It is a great advantage. “Your soul shall live.” We all have some idea what life is, and we know how highly it is valued. This advantage must be of peculiar magnitude, as the soul is unspeakably more excellent than the body, and as eternity is of infinitely higher moment than the fleeting shadow of time. The life of the soul! What does it denote? What does it include? The commencement of the life of the soul is in regeneration.

4. It is a sure advantage. Application:

1. The message of the Gospel is brought to you.

2. What is the regard which you are giving to this message?

3. What is your experience of this advantage? (T. Kidd.)

Life in Christ

I. WHAT LIFE THAT IS WHICH A SOUL SHALL HAVE BY COMING TO CHRIST.

II. HOW IT MAY BE DEMONSTRATED THAT THE SOUL SHALL LIVE THAT HEARS AND COMES TO CHRIST. (O. Sedgwick, B. D.)

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you

The covenant with Israel

Nothing is required on the part of Israel but hearing and coming and taking; through these, it becomes pervaded by new life, and Jehovah presents it with an everlasting covenant, namely, the unchangeable mercies of David. (E. Delitzsch, D. D.)

Twelve covenant mercies

I. SAVING KNOWLEDGE (Jeremiah 31:31).

II. GOD’S LAW WRITTEN IN THE HEART (Jeremiah 31:33).

III. FREE PARDON (end of Jeremiah 31:34).

IV. RECONCILIATION (Jeremiah 32:38).

V. TRUE GODLINESS (Jeremiah 31:39).

VI. CONTINUANCE IN GRACE (Jeremiah 31:40).

VII. CLEANSING (Ezekiel 36:25).

VIII. RENEWAL OF NATURE (Jeremiah 31:26).

IX. HOLY CONVERSATION (Jeremiah 31:27).

X. HAPPY SELF-LOATHING (Jeremiah 31:31).

XI. COMMUNION WITH GOD (Ezekiel 37:26).

XII. NEEDFUL CHASTISEMENT (Psalms 89:30). (C. H. Spurgeon.)

God’s covenant

We should hear much less of the doubts and fears of Christians about their own acceptance, if they would think more of God and His act, His call, His promise and His covenant, than of their own unworthiness, which, indeed, is frankly assumed throughout. (G. A.Chadwick, D. D.)

The sure mercies of David

“The sure mercies of David:”

“The sure mercies of David:” i.e the mercies (loving-kindnesses) irrevocably promised to David and his house (comp. 2 Samuel 23:5; Psalms 18:50; Psalms 89:28; Psalms 89:4), and the great promise to which all these passages point (2 Samuel 7:8). The comparison of the everlasting covenant to these Davidic “mercies” cannot mean simply that the one is as sure as the other. It is identity rather than comparison that is implied, the idea being that the contents of the covenant are the same as the mercies promised to David, and that it will be the fulfilment of the hopes that clustered round the Davidic dynasty. (Prof. J. Skinner, D. D.)

“The sure mercies of David”

What is this “everlasting covenant”? What are these “sure mercies of David”? Two sorts of authors deserve to be heard on this article, though on different accounts, the first for their ignorance and prejudice, the last for their knowledge and impartiality. The first are the Jews, who, in spite of their obstinate blindness, cannot help owning that these words promise the advent of the Messiah. Rabbi David Kimchi gives this exposition of the words: “‘The sure mercies of David,’ that is, the Messiah, whom Ezekiel calls David, They shall dwell in the land that I have given them, they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever; and My servant David shall be their prince for ever.” The other authors, whom we ought to hear for their impartial knowledge, are the inspired writers, and particularly St. Paul, whose comment on this passage, which he gave at Antioch in Pisidia, determines its meaning. There, the apostle, having attested the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, affirms that the prophets had foretold that event; and, among other passages, which he alleged in proof of what he had advanced, quotes this, “I will give you the sure mercies of David” (Acts 13:34). (J. Saurin.)

“The sure mercies of David”

The Gospel is the exhibition and the bestowment of all these blessings which were promised to David, as the type of Christ, and His forefathers according to the flesh. Those blessings are indeed unspeakably valuable; in them is the charter of our hope, and the record of our salvation. And this consideration above all adds value to them--they are c, sure.”

1. Sure, as respects the fountain from which they are derived, the love and compassion of the holy and eternal one.

2. Sure, as respects the intention of Him who proposes them to us.

3. Sure, because of the price at which they are offered. (H. J. Hastings, M. A.)