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Answer
In Isaiah 53, the prophet describes the ordeal of the Messiah who would bear His people’s iniquity and suffer on their behalf (verses 4–6). In the following chapter, Isaiah predicts the forthcoming glory of Jerusalem and the restoration of God’s people, who would experience the “everlasting kindness” and compassion of God “In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.”, (Isaiah 54:8). Subsequently, in Isaiah 55, the prophet extends God’s invitation to freely partake of the promised blessings (verses 1–2) and encounter God’s “everlasting covenant” (verse 3). This assurance of restoration, forgiveness, and blessing would have been particularly uplifting to the succeeding generation of battered and bruised Jews returning from their exile in Babylon.
Through Isaiah, God compassionately summoned the surviving remnant of Israel to spiritual renewal. As part of this renewal, they needed to completely forsake their sinful ways and return to Him to receive the forgiveness made possible by the Messiah (Isaiah 53). They were urged to “seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near” “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: “, (Isaiah 55:6).
Now was not the time for Israel to procrastinate. There was a limited window of opportunity and no space for delay. With the directive to “seek the Lord while He may be found,” Isaiah emphasized the urgency and gravity of God’s summons. The prophet Amos conveyed the same sense of urgency, repeatedly conveying the Lord’s plea to “seek me and live” (Amos 5:4-7, 14-15). Dedica
Committing our lives to the pursuit of God is a matter of life and death. If we delay, the chance to respond to His invitation may slip away.
This sense of urgency is evident in the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:12-24) and the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14). Similar to Isaiah’s call to the remnant to partake of the Lord’s table to eat and drink (Isaiah 55:1-2), Jesus encouraged His primarily Jewish audience to “eat at the feast in the kingdom of God” «And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. », (Luke 14:15). Through the parables, Jesus clarified that the invited guests turned down the Master’s invitation, leading to the closure of the opportunity. As the invited guests declined to attend, individuals from “the streets and alleys of the town, . . . the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” were invited to come and dine «So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. », (Luke 14:21).
Proverbs 1:20–33 demonstrates how God’s patience with fools—those who reject the voice of Wisdom—eventually wears thin: “I called you so often, but you wouldn’t come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you—when calamity overtakes.
You are like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you. When they cry for help, I will not answer. Though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me” (Proverbs 1:24-28; NLT).
When we hear the voice of the Lord calling us to seek Him, inviting us to fellowship at His table, we must respond immediately while there is still time. “For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’ Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation” «(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, And in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) », (2 Corinthians 6:2, NLT). We are not promised tomorrow (Proverbs 27:1; Luke 12:16-21). As the psalmist urged, “Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found” «For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. », (Psalm 32:6). Jesus taught us to stay focused and seek God’s kingdom before and above all else (Matthew 6:33-34).
Seek the Lord while He may be found means to take up our cross and become His disciple «And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. », (Mark 8:34) at this very moment, today. The command is accom
Accompanied by another command and a promise: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” «let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. », (Isaiah 55:7). We must repent of our sin and return to the Lord right now because there will come a day when our time is up. Scripture tells us to get ready, for the day of the Lord’s return will come suddenly, “like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2; see also 2 Peter 3:10).
While we still have time, before it’s too late, we must seek the Lord. God graciously promises to be found: “You will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul” «But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. », (Deuteronomy 4:29, ESV). Over and over throughout the Bible, God calls His people to repent, return to Him, and seek the Lord while He may be found (Deuteronomy 30:2-3; Leviticus 26:40-42; 2 Chronicles 15:4; Jeremiah 29:13-14).
