Vol. 8-03 – 01-15-2023 –Remembrances
Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, My steadfast, sure love for David. –Isaiah 55:1-3
To a person’s mind, there is a multitude of celebratory days, too many for the average person to keep track of. We began the year with a holiday. This week, there is another, Martin Luther King Day. A day of remembrance—an important one. I checked my iPhone calendar; there are 42 holidays listed for the year in the U.S. I did not include the months set aside, nor did I include some of the commercial holidays (such as National Donut Day and National Sandwich Day). It is amazing the set-asides. One wonders what the future will bring.
As I looked at the holidays, I wondered what days should be pared back. But then considered that each day is considered holy by those attached to them or is it because folks get a certain number of extra days off in a year? Last November I saw a sign: Why do so many dogs not attend the Veteran’s Day parades? Because there are too many vets.
That really cheapens the remembrance, doesn’t it?
When God created humanity, He was not designing days for each race or ethnic group. All are important to Him. In fact, God sent His Son to die for the whole of humanity, not just a select few. And, because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, there is an invitation: Come, everyone who thirsts! Sadly, too many of our holidays are ethnic or race-centric.
God chases after those who do not know how to satisfy the heart-thirst of the soul, with His love, grace, mercy, and hope. I wonder how many in our country can name the two remembrances/ holidays that are the ones that offer invitations for the thirsty? Resurrection Day (Easter). And, Christmas. Both represent God’s invitations. Who gets to come; to remember? Everyone—the thirsty, hungry, the wealthy, the infirmed, and even the destitute.
There are few people in our country that have not experienced a time of emptiness, a time of being unfulfilled, or a time of being dissatisfied with life. God does not neglect you. Although some holidays seem to be private, God’s remembrances are not private.
I also noticed in our text that there is substance being offered. God is like that. The list is liquid. They are pictures. Everyone needs water, one cannot live without it, at least not long. Jesus offered living water to the woman at the well after she asked where she might acquire such water. If you have had the privilege of raising a newborn into their days of life, you discovered that milk was extremely important. And what child has not cried for milk? It is nourishing; important if one is to grow.
Then there is the wine. Good Baptists do not pay attention to wine. Yet in the early times, wine was important to make the water safe to drink. It did good work in destroying the bacteria that were present in the water. I did remark that these liquids were pictures. Wine, today, is placed so that it is accessible in many retail stores. In prominent spots. Almost everyone must walk through or by where it is displayed. If you glance at the wine, you will notice that most of the labels represent themselves with gold labels. It is a picture of luxury. Luxuries are not necessities, just wants.
The third thing that sticks out from the passage is the teaching of what one is supposed to do with these benefits. The instructions are replete with action words. Come. Buy. Eat. Delight. Incline. Hear. Live.
God makes clear what He offers. There are few holidays that stipulate what they offer. They are mostly remembrances that decry the shortfall of human misery or want.
God says Come to the waters. Come to Me. He makes clear that He is the supplier of our genuine needs in life.
Life Application
Fireworks. Overindulgence in eating. Alcohol. Games. And on-and-on. People drift from the remembrance of what God has done. What does it cost?
For those who have drifted from God’s truth, He says that the fountain He has will never run dry. You can come and drink freely. It is His gift to you, because He loves you, has mercy on you, and offers His grace freely.
Too many are satisfied with the junk food of this world. God offers that you should come and enjoy the food He freely offers that will make an eternal difference for anyone who comes.
In this week of remembrance, remember the one who has freely given, that life will never be the same.
