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Commentary on Isaiah 55 verses 6–13
We have here a further account of that covenant of grace which is made with us in Jesus Christ, both what is required and what is promised in the covenant, and of those considerations that are sufficient abundantly to confirm our believing compliance with and reliance on that covenant. This gracious discovery of God's good-will to the children of men is not to be confined either to the Jew or to the Gentile, to the Old Testament or to the New, much less to the captives in Babylon. No, both the precepts and the promises are here given to all, to every one that thirsts after happiness, Isa 55:1. And who does not? Hear this, and live.
I. Here is a gracious offer made of pardon, and peace, and all happiness, to poor sinners, upon gospel terms, Isa 55:6, Isa 55:7.
1.Let them pray, and their prayers shall be heard and answered (Isa 55:6): "Seek the Lord while he may be found. Seek him whom you have left by revolting from your allegiance to him and whom you have lost by provoking him to withdraw his favour from you. Call upon him now while he is near, and within call." Observe here,
(1.)The duties required. [1.] "Seek the Lord. Seek to him, and enquire of him, as your oracle. Ask the law at his mouth. What wilt thou have me to do? Seek for him, and enquire after him, as your portion and happiness; seek to be reconciled to him and acquainted with him, and to be happy in his favour. Be sorry that you have lost him; be solicitous to find him; take the appointed method of finding him, making use of Christ as your way, the Spirit as your guide, and the word as your rule." [2.] "Call upon him. Pray to him, to be reconciled, and, being reconciled, pray to him for every thing else you have need of."
(2.)The motives made use of to press these duties upon us: While he may be found - while he is near. [1.] It is implied that now God is near and will be found, so that it shall not be in vain to seek him and to call upon him. Now his patience is waiting on us, his word is calling to us, and his Spirit striving with us. Let us now improve our advantages and opportunities; for now is the accepted time. But, [2.] There is a day coming when he will be afar off, and will not be found, when the day of his patience is over, and his Spirit will strive no more. There may come such a time in this life, when the heart is incurably hardened; it is certain that at death and judgment the door will be shut, Luk 16:26; Luk 13:25, Luk 13:26. Mercy is now offered, but then judgment without mercy will take place.
2.Let them repent and reform, and their sins shall be pardoned, Isa 55:7. Here is a call to the unconverted, to the wicked and the unrighteous - to the wicked, who live in known gross sins, to the unrighteous, who live in the neglect of plain duties: to them is the word of this salvation sent, and all possible assurance given that penitent sinners shall find God a pardoning God. Observe here,
(1.)What it is to repent. There are two things involved in repentance: - [1.] It is to turn from sin; it is to forsake it. It is to leave it, and to leave it with loathing and abhorrence, never to return to it again. The wicked must forsake his way, his evil way, as we would forsake a false way that will never bring us to the happiness we aim at, and a dangerous way, that leads to destruction. Let him not take one step more in that way. Nay, there must be not only a change of the way, but a change of the mind; the unrighteous must forsake his thoughts. Repentance, if it be true, strikes at the root, and washes the heart from wickedness. We must alter our judgments concerning persons and things, dislodge the corrupt imaginations and quit the vain pretences under which an unsanctified heart shelters itself. Note, It is not enough to break off from evil practices, but we must enter a caveat against evil thoughts. Yet this is not all: [2.] To repent is to return to the Lord; to return to him as our God, our sovereign Lord, against whom we have rebelled, and to whom we are concerned to reconcile ourselves; it is to return to the Lord as the fountain of life and living waters, which we had forsaken for broken cisterns.
(2.)What encouragement we have thus to repent. If we do so, [1.] God will have mercy. He will not deal with us as our sins have deserved, but will have compassion on us. Misery is the object of mercy. Now both the consequences of sin, by which we have become truly miserable (Eze 16:5, Eze 16:6), and the nature of repentance, by which we are made sensible of our misery and are brought to bemoan ourselves (Jer 31:18), both these make us objects of pity, and with God there are tender mercies. [2.] He will abundantly pardon. He will multiply to pardon (so the word is), as we have multiplied to offend. Though our sins have been very great and very many, and though we have often backslidden and are still prone to offend, yet God will repeat his pardon, and welcome even backsliding children that return to him in sincerity.
II. Here are encouragements given us to accept this offer and to venture our souls upon it. For, look which way we will, we find enough to confirm us in our belief of its validity and value.
1.If we look up to heaven, we find God's counsels there high and transcendent, his thoughts and ways infinitely above ours, Isa 55:8, Isa 55:9. The wicked are urged to forsake their evil ways and thoughts (Isa 55:7) and to return to God, that is, to bring their ways and thoughts to concur and comply with his; "for" (says he) "my thoughts and ways are not as yours. Yours are conversant only about things beneath; they are of the earth earthy: but mine are above, as the heaven is high above the earth; and, if you would approve yourselves true penitents, yours must be so too, and your affections must be set on things above." Or, rather, it is to be understood as an encouragement to us to depend upon God's promise to pardon sin, upon repentance. Sinners may be ready to fear that God will not be reconciled to them, because they could not find in their hearts to be reconciled to one who should have so basely and so frequently offended them. "But" (says God) "my thoughts in this matter are not as yours, but as far above them as the heaven is above the earth." They are so in other things. Men's sentiments concerning sin, and Christ, and holiness, concerning this world and the other, are vastly different from God's; but in nothing more than in the matter of reconciliation. We think God apt to take offence and backward to forgive - that, if he forgives once, he will not forgive a second time. Peter thought it a great deal to forgive seven times (Mat 18:21), and a hundred pence go far with us; but God meets returning sinners with pardoning mercy; he forgives freely, and as he gives: it is without upbraiding. We forgive and cannot forget; but, when God forgives sin, he remembers it no more. Thus God invites sinners to return to him, by possessing them with good thoughts of him, as Jer 31:20.
2.If we look down to this earth, we find God's word there powerful and effectual, and answering all its great intentions, Isa 55:10, Isa 55:11. Observe here, (1.) The efficacy of God's word in the kingdom of nature. He saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; he appoints when it shall come, to what degree, and how long it shall lie there; he saith so to the small rain and the great rain of his strength, Job 37:6. And according to his order they come down from heaven, and do whatsoever he commands them upon the face of the world, whether it be for correction, or for his land, or for mercy, Isa 55:12, Isa 55:13. It returns not re infect - without having accomplished its end, but waters the earth, which he is therefore said to do from his chambers, Psa 104:13. And the watering of the earth is in order to its fruitfulness. Thus he makes it to bring forth and bud, for the products of the earth depend upon the dews of heaven; and thus it gives not only bread to the eater, present maintenance to the owner and his family, but seed likewise to the sower, that he may have food for another year. The husbandman must be a sower as well as an eater, else he will soon see the end of what he has. (2.) The efficacy of his word in the kingdom of providence and grace, which is as certain as the former: "So shall my word be, as powerful in the mouth of prophets as it is in the hand of providence; it shall not return unto me void, as unable to effect what it was sent for, or meeting with an insuperable opposition; no, it shall accomplish that which I please" (for it is the declaration of his will, according to the counsel of which he works all things) "and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." This assures us, [1.] That the promises of God shall all have their full accomplishment in due time, and not one iota or tittle of them shall fail, Kg1 8:56. These promises of mercy and grace shall have as real an effect upon the souls of believers, for their sanctification and comfort, as ever the rain had upon the earth, to make it fruitful. [2.] That according to the different errands on which the word is sent it will have its different effects. If it be not a savour of life unto life, it will be a savour of death unto death; if it do not convince the conscience and soften the heart, it will sear the conscience and harden the heart; if it do not ripen for heaven, it will ripen for hell. See Isa 6:9. One way or other, it will take effect. [3.] That Christ's coming into the world, as the dew from heaven (Hos 14:5), will not be in vain. For, if Israel be not gathered, he will be glorious in the conversion of the Gentiles; to them therefore the tenders of grace must be made when the Jews refuse them, that the wedding may be furnished with guests and the gospel not return void.
3.If we take a special view of the church, we shall find what great things God has done, and will do, for it (Isa 55:12, Isa 55:13): You shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace. This refers, (1.) To the deliverance and return of the Jews out of Babylon. They shall go out of their captivity, and be led forth towards their own land again. God will go before them as surely, though not as sensibly, as before their fathers in the pillar of cloud and fire. They shall go out, not with trembling, but with triumph, not with any regret to part with Babylon, or any fear of being fetched back, but with joy and peace. Their journey home over the mountains shall be pleasant, and they shall have the good-will and good wishes of all the countries they pass through. The hills and their inhabitants shall, as in a transport of joy, break forth into singing; and, if the people should altogether hold their peace, even the trees of the field would attend them with their applauses and acclamations. And, when they come to their own land, it shall be ready to bid them welcome; for, whereas they expected to find it all overgrown with briers and thorns, it shall be set with fir-trees and myrtle-trees: for, though it lay desolate, yet it enjoyed its sabbaths (Lev 26:34), which, when they were over, like the land after the sabbatical year, it was the better for. And this shall redound much to the honour of God and be to him for a name. But, (2.) Without doubt it looks further. This shall be for an everlasting sign, that it, [1.] The redemption of the Jews out of Babylon shall be a ratification of those promises that relate to gospel times. The accomplishment of the predictions relating to that great deliverance would be a pledge and earnest of the performance of all the other promises; for thereby it shall appear that he is faithful who has promised. [2.] It shall be a representation of the blessings promised and a type and figure of them. First, Gospel grace will set those at liberty that were in bondage to sin and Satan. They shall go out and be led forth. Christ shall make them free, and then they shall be free indeed. Secondly, It will fill those with joy that were melancholy. Psa 14:7, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. The earth and the inferior part of the creation shall share in the joy of this salvation, Psa 94:11, Psa 94:12. Thirdly, It will make a great change in men's characters. Those that were as thorns and briers, good for nothing but the fire, nay, hurtful and vexatious, shall become graceful and useful as the fir-tree and the myrtle-tree. Thorns and briers came in with sin and were the fruits of the curse, Gen 3:18. The raising of pleasant trees in the room of them signifies the removal of the curse of the law and the introduction of gospel blessings. The church's enemies were as thorns and briers; but, instead of them, God will raise up friends to be her protection and ornament. Or it may denote the world's growing better; instead of a generation of thorns and briers, there shall come up a generation of fir-trees and myrtles; the children shall be wiser and better than the parents. And, fourthly, in all this God shall be glorified. It shall be to him for a name, by which he will be made known and praised, and by it the people of God shall be encouraged. It shall be for an everlasting sign of God's favour to them, assuring them that, though it may for a time be clouded, it shall never be cut off. The covenant of grace is an everlasting covenant; for the present blessings of it are signs of everlasting ones.
“Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle.” The spiritual meaning of these words refers to the change of customs, which sprouted and rose up in the advent of Christ among those nations who embraced his faith. Instead of thorns, which represent the sins, and instead of the brier, which is devoid of fruits, the sweet-smelling cypress and the myrtle have risen, which are figures of the actions of virtue, purity and holiness and … are pleasing to God and delight him.
Thus when it is said in the Gospel, “A good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit,” in no way does this refer to the property of nature, as the heretics maintain, but to the will of the mind.… From this it is clear that each by his own will can make his soul a good or bad tree, which produced different fruit.
(Vers. 12, 13.) Because you will go out in joy, and be led forth in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush, the cypress will grow; and instead of briers, the myrtle will grow. And the Lord will be called an everlasting sign, that will not be taken away. LXX: You will go out in joy, and be led forth in gladness. The mountains and hills will leap with joy, eagerly awaiting your coming, and all the trees of the field will applaud with their branches. And in place of a heap of rubbish (that is, the lowest branches (Al. stems)) cypress will rise up; and in place of conyza myrtle will rise up. And the Lord will be a name and a perpetual sign, and he will not fail. My word, he says, will not return empty, but after it has accomplished all that I desired, and has made my will on earth, then it will come back to me; and that which is written will be fulfilled: The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand: until I make your enemies a footstool under your feet (Ps. 110:1-2). For in joy you will go forth from the blood of idolatry, and you will be led in peace, so that you may hear from the Apostle: Grace be to you and peace (Rom. I, 7). Whether you are led in joy, that you may learn the truth of the Gospel after the shadow of the Law. For the mountains and hills, which we can understand to be Angels, and the souls of the Saints, which are called mountains and hills by reason of the variety of virtues, will rejoice over the repentant and will indicate the joy of the mind by leaps. What the Lord says in the Gospel: There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner (Luke 15:7). Also, all the trees of the field will clap their hands, or branches, that are planted along the watercourses, which will bear fruit in their season, and their leaves will not wither (Psalm 1). Concerning these trees, one tree was spoken of in the psalm: But I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of the Lord (Psalm 52:10). Let us ask those who follow only simple history and eat cooked lamb. Whether the woods applaud with branches and crackle in the hand, and what is said about rivers: The rivers will clap their hands (Psalm 98:8), in what sense it should be understood. Not only will the mountains and hills leap and sing; and all the trees of the field, blessed by the Lord, will applaud with branches and clap their hands: but even the bush and the fern, as well as the reed and the nettle, will turn into fir trees, and myrtle and cypress. The word κονύζη, which is written as Nesus in Greek and סרפד (Sarphod) in Hebrew, is translated by Aquila and Theodotion as κονύζη. κονύζη is a very cheap and bitter herb with a very bad odor. But when the Septuagint translated κονύζη, which is called Sarphod in Hebrew, Symmachus translated it as urticam (nettle). And as for the nature of proper names, it must be said that evil things are turned into good things, and virtues are born from vices, that is, justice from injustice, fortitude from temerity, temperance from luxury, and prudence from foolishness. Let us give examples of our ancestors: Matthew and Zacchaeus and the tax collectors were like salt and piles of ashes, and useless stumps, and bitter flavors, and extremely foul odors, saying: My wounds have festered and become corrupt, because of my foolishness (Ps. XXXVII, 6). Suddenly, these people were transformed into apostles, becoming cypress trees, and firs, and myrtles, with the best fragrance, and necessary for various works. Even Paul, the persecutor of the Church, when he heard from the Lord: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard to kick against the goad (Acts 9:4-5), it was a nettle with the stings of persecution. But when he preached the Gospel throughout the whole world, he could say: We are the sweet aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15), rightly called cypress and myrtle. Prostitutes and tax collectors enter the kingdom of God before the Pharisees, and the thief from the cross passes into paradise (Matthew 21). Therefore, what is said in the Gospel: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit (Luke 6:43; Matthew 7:18), does not refer at all to the nature of things, as the heretics want it to, but to the choice of the mind. Finally, it is inferred: Either make a good tree and its fruits good. From this it is clear, each one by their own will makes their soul a good or bad tree, whose fruits are varied. It follows: And the Lord will be an everlasting name and sign, which will not fail. For those who have been changed from evil to good, the Lord will be an eternal name and sign, so that they may be called Christians by his name, and branded by his crucifix. About which sign Simeon, holding the little one in his arms, spoke: This one will be for the ruin and the resurrection of many, and for a sign which will be contradicted (Luke 2:34): about which it is also said above: The Lord Himself will give you a sign (Isaiah 7:14): And the holy one sings in the psalm: Make with me the sign of the Lord for good (Psalm 85:17). And He Himself who is the sign says: When you see, He says, the sign of the Son of Man, which will not fail, and will not be changed by any end, but will pass from the present conversation into the future.
The mountains are the heavenly powers that are instituted in heaven by God for the sake of those who are on the earth. For they are ministering spirits sent for the service of those inheriting the future salvation. And they also offer thanks for even one repentant sinner. … Or they could be understood to be those who have a teaching practice in the church and care not for earthly things but those that are above.… And the trees of the field can be understood as those who are perfected among the people. For the Savior has a flowering garden. And since, indeed, it flourishes there and produces good fruit, it is written in the Song of Songs of the bride, “May my beloved come into his garden.”
He has shown by this the change undergone by the foreign nations. For people who formerly resembled useless and rampant weeds, behold, after having had knowledge of the Savior, they have imitated the height of the cypress and the sweet aroma of the myrtle. They proclaim by their deeds the power of our God and Savior, in offering their own change as a sign [to others] and as a miracle, great, astonishing and lasting. Thus, this sign will be eternal and shall not fail.… Let us therefore offer ourselves [to others] as a sign worthy of our God and Savior, not only in adhering to the holy precepts but also in embracing the mode of life corresponding thereto, to the end that seeing our “good works” people may “glorify your Father in heaven.” To him are due all glory, honor and magnificence, together with his only-begotten Son and the All-Holy Spirit, now and forever and to ages of ages. Amen.
For in the hearts of the saints, instead of the baseness of earthly thoughts, the loftiness of heavenly contemplation rises up. Now the thorn is of a very fiery nature, while the cypress is of a moderate strength. Instead of the brier the myrtle comes up, when the minds of the righteous turn from the lasciviousness and heat of vices to the coolness and temperance of thoughts that do not desire the earthly things but with heavenly desires extinguish the flames of the flesh.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 55:13 serves as a magnificent crescendo to God's profound invitation to salvation and restoration, painting a vivid prophetic portrait of His transformative power. This verse declares a radical reversal of the curse and desolation, where the barren and harmful elements of creation are miraculously replaced by flourishing, beautiful, and useful trees. This divine transformation stands as an enduring testament to the Lord's character, faithfulness, and the eternal nature of His redemptive work, establishing an everlasting and undeniable sign of His glory that will never be diminished or forgotten.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 55:13 is exceptionally rich in Symbolism and Contrast. The "thorn" and "brier" powerfully symbolize the curse, desolation, and the pervasive effects of sin, directly echoing the imagery found in Genesis 3:18. In stark Contrast, the "fir tree" and "myrtle tree" symbolize beauty, fruitfulness, peace, and the abundant blessings of God. This direct and dramatic substitution vividly conveys the radical and comprehensive nature of God's restorative work. The phrase "it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign" employs Metonymy, where "name" stands for God's entire character, reputation, and manifest glory, indicating that the transformed creation will serve as a perpetual and living witness to His greatness. The entire verse functions as a profound Prophetic Vision, painting a vivid and hope-filled picture of a future reality brought about solely by God's powerful and effective word, offering deep assurance and comfort to His people.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 55:13 stands as a powerful and enduring testament to God's sovereign redemptive power and His unwavering commitment to bringing forth a new creation. It speaks profoundly to the reversal of the curse of sin, promising a future where utter desolation is replaced by vibrant, flourishing life, and deep sorrow by unbridled joy. This promised transformation is not merely for humanity's temporal benefit but is ultimately "to the LORD for a name," revealing His glorious character and unwavering faithfulness to all generations. It underscores the enduring nature of God's covenant promises, assuring us that His work of salvation and cosmic restoration is eternal and irreversible, serving as an "everlasting sign" of His unwavering love, omnipotence, and covenant fidelity.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 55:13 offers profound encouragement and enduring hope for believers in every generation, serving as a powerful reminder that God is perpetually at work, actively transforming barrenness into breathtaking beauty and desolation into vibrant, flourishing life. This divine promise extends far beyond a physical landscape, reaching into the deepest spiritual realities of our individual lives and the broken world around us. Where sin, brokenness, despair, or the weight of circumstances have left us feeling like a desolate field overgrown with thorns and briers, this verse assures us that God's redemptive power can miraculously bring forth myrtle trees—symbols of beauty, peace, and abundant fruitfulness. It calls us to place our unwavering trust in His living word, which "shall not return void" (Isaiah 55:11), knowing with certainty that His ultimate purpose is to restore, renew, and glorify His own name through our transformed lives. Our personal growth in holiness and Christlikeness, our acts of compassion and justice, and our faithful witness to His saving grace become living "signs" of His everlasting faithfulness in a world desperately longing for true hope and lasting transformation.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the primary message of Isaiah 55:13?
Answer: The primary message of Isaiah 55:13 is God's profound promise of complete, radical, and lasting transformation and restoration. It declares that the desolation and the very effects of the curse will be utterly reversed, replaced by breathtaking beauty, abundant fruitfulness, and profound joy. This miraculous change serves as an eternal testament to God's character, His omnipotent power, and His unwavering faithfulness, ultimately bringing Him unparalleled glory. It stands as the triumphant and glorious conclusion to God's gracious invitation to salvation found throughout Isaiah 55.
How does the imagery of trees contribute to the verse's meaning?
Answer: The imagery of trees is absolutely central to the verse's profound meaning, conveyed through a powerful and deliberate contrast. "Thorns" and "briers" symbolize the curse, barrenness, and hardship, directly reminiscent of the dire consequences of sin described in Genesis 3:18. Conversely, "fir trees" and "myrtle trees" represent beauty, flourishing, peace, and the abundant blessings of God. The miraculous transformation from harmful, unproductive plants to beautiful, useful, and fragrant ones vividly illustrates God's sovereign ability to bring forth vibrant life and prosperity out of spiritual and physical wasteland, signifying a complete reversal of judgment and the establishment of a new, blessed, and fruitful order.
What does it mean for the transformation to be "to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign"?
Answer: This profound phrase emphatically emphasizes that the ultimate purpose and supreme outcome of God's transformative work is to glorify Himself. "To the LORD for a name" means that the divinely restored creation and the renewed people of God will publicly display God's majestic character, His omnipotent power, and His unwavering faithfulness, thereby bringing Him honor and renown throughout eternity. It serves as "an everlasting sign" because it is a permanent, undeniable, and enduring witness to His redemptive work, a perpetual monument to His fidelity. This sign will "not be cut off," signifying its eternal validity and the unbreakable nature of God's covenant promises, assuring that His work of salvation is perpetual, secure, and will never be undone. It powerfully points to the eternal kingdom where God's glory is fully revealed, as described in Revelation 21:23.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 55:13 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The prophetic transformation from thorns and briers to fir and myrtle trees powerfully foreshadows the complete reversal of the curse of sin and death, a reversal accomplished solely through Christ's atoning sacrifice. The "thorn" directly evokes the cruel crown of thorns placed upon Jesus' head (Matthew 27:29), symbolizing the full weight of the curse, suffering, and shame He bore on humanity's behalf. Through His substitutionary death, Jesus took upon Himself the barrenness, desolation, and spiritual death caused by sin, thereby enabling a new creation where spiritual fruitfulness and abundant life replace spiritual death and decay. The flourishing "fir tree" and "myrtle tree" represent the abundant life, spiritual beauty, and peace of the new covenant, where believers are supernaturally transformed from within, receiving a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). This radical transformation is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, making us fruitful in righteousness and bearing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Ultimately, this glorious restoration is "to the LORD for a name," revealing God's character, power, and boundless love most fully and perfectly in the person and finished work of Christ, who is the "image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15). The "everlasting sign that shall not be cut off" points to the eternal covenant established in His precious blood (Hebrews 13:20), guaranteeing that the salvation and new creation initiated by Christ will endure forever, culminating in the new heavens and new earth where God's glory is fully manifest and the curse is no more (Revelation 22:3).