Again God is speaking to Israel … “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” Isaiah 55:3
To “incline” suggests wanting something (here Someone) so eagerly that you’re willing “to stretch out, to extend” yourself to reach that goal! And three times in the King James Version the verb is “to wrest” that thing, to virtually “take” it! (Here it’s a mandate too, “to incline.”)
Remember Matthew 11:12. Though cryptic, it has the same idea: “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent TAKE IT BY FORCE.”
Wow!
The verbs “come” and “hear” are “commands, imperatives” as well. “Come” means “walk over here!” And “hear” means not only “to listen,” but also “to obey!”
Put these three verbs together, synthesize them … and you come up with what the Bible calls “believing.”
Think of it.
And the grand result of this … “believing,” this “hearing and inclining and coming?”
Life!
Our verse today promises: “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul SHALL LIVE.” Don’t miss this … your SOUL will live! You will be saved, born-again, extended eternal life!
At which point God will give to the Jews (in this Isaiah context specifically) … “an everlasting covenant!”
In reality, that’s what salvation is!
An unending Pledge from Almighty God … a divine Commitment that will never end!
Jeremiah 32:40 captures this Truth, even in more detail! “And I (the Lord God) will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.”
Wow!
God has promised (and will fulfill) everything He has ever said (yes, to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob as well, but here …) to DAVID, hence particularly in Isaiah 55:3, “the sure mercies of David!”
Precisely, and please read it all. This is the Classic Old Testament Paragraph explaining this Theme … “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant DAVID, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: 9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. 10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, 11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. 12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: THY THRONE SHALL BE ESTABLISHED FOR EVER.” 2 Samuel 7:8-16.
What a Wonder!
God never forgetS a Promise!
Hallelujah!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
Here’s one of my promises … “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:31
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