Isaiah 55 Study: Your Choice — God vs. Our Idols

Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. - Isaiah 55:2

What makes us choose other things over God?

We’re continuing our verse-by-verse study of Isaiah 55. Verse 2 continues God’s invitation to us, but shifts the focus on comparing what He offers versus what our other loves offer us. 

Two Offers

God offers us hope and life abundantly. We’ve just learned in the previous verse that God is inviting us to come and buy milk, wine and bread without any cost to us. There is a price, but He’s already covered the bill. Taking it out of the analogy, food refers to fulfillment.

Meaning, He will satisfy our souls with our every need. He doesn’t just give us the bare bones of what will keep us alive. He offers us pleasures and goodness in abundance. He promises every good thing. He elaborates on this later on in the verse by inviting us to “delight ourselves in abundance.”

His offer is clear: the price has been paid for us already. We only need to come to the table and dine at the feast before us. 

Our loves offer us hope, too. But what kind? We see verse two describes their offer as what “does not satisfy.” This statement reveals the deception in our false loves’ promises. Although they offer what appears like nourishing food, it turns to ash in our mouths. Never satisfying, yet only increasing our appetite. Not only that, we are dropped with the weight of a costly bill at the end of the meal. 

It’s not always so clearly black and white like this. Many times, the feast looks like an out-of-reach sampling and the ash like a mouth-drooling chocolate cake.

The beauty of God’s gift won’t wane based on our perception of it, but our idols can obstruct the view. In order to see that God is better, we must see that our idols will never satisfy us. When we accept their offer, we must understand what payment is required of us and what we’ll receive in return. 

What are we giving?

The invitation from our idols comes at a cost. When we chase our own fulfillment apart from God we have to work for it. We are bound by the standards we set for ourselves or we assign ourselves from others. 

Our fulfillment is dependent on our performance. Every aspect of our lives — our identity, happiness, security, sense of belonging – will facilitate as we follow the rules to our standards.

What are we getting? 

Our idols may give us a whisper of fulfillment, but it always has an expiration date. It won’t fully satisfy us. In fact, it will only make us grow more discontent because we don’t have the real thing. It’s merely a shadow of the real thing.

God gives us many wonderful things to enjoy life. He is the source of joy, and as His creations they point to that joy. Glimmers of sunlight reflected on the waves wouldn’t give off heat if not for the sun beaming overhead. Similarly, without God’s love, we wouldn’t receive any enjoyment. As soon as we look at those things to give us full satisfaction, we’ll be continually disappointed.

We may get temporary blips of happiness or contentment — but it will only be a reflection of what could be found in the fullness of knowing Him. 

Accepting God's offer means that no matter how many times we’ve failed or will fail, God’s love for us won’t diminish. When we choose Him, we get life to the fullest. Despite what happens in life, our core truth will never change: we’re safe in Him.

He sees the ultimate good in our lives and gives us just that  — even if it challenges us. But through difficulties, the unknown and even grief, He’s not going anywhere.

Unlike our loves, He never changes. His love isn’t dependent on our performance. His grace never runs out no matter how many times we fall. 

Carefully listen

We’re given two offers, which one will we listen and respond to? God knows that our other loves offer a tempting choice, which is why He pleads with us to “listen carefully.” He knows the joys they provide us are real and feel good, but understands their temperance. He knows it will ultimately leave us empty and more needy than before. He knows it will cost us our identity and peace of mind. We’re desperate to feel, and He’s desperate to show us how much, much more He has to offer us. 

What hope can our loves offer us that can’t be found in the One who created them? 

We’re tired. We’re starving. We’re aching. He will give us what we need. Come, taste and see that He is good (Psalm 34:8). 

Either path we choose, we’re listening to someone. Will we lean into the Christ calling us or answer the cries of our idols?