Meditate | "Come, buy and eat."
Alanna Rose | Monday, April 4, 2011 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good.
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.” (Isaiah 55:1-2)
The Lord is calling everyone to come to ‘the waters.’ I interpret ‘the waters’ as his very being, but more specifically his complete expression in the Word. Although I don’t completely understand it, I love how it somewhat nonsensically encourages those who have no money to come and buy without price. I am given an image of over abundance: an open market in early November at the peak of the harvest. This is a picture of what the Lord is offering to us all the time. It is a picture of who he is. I read ‘eating‘ as accepting and assimilating, and thereby becoming one with what is offered. In this case it is the Lord’s goodness. This is corroborated by the word ‘listen,’ which I associate with obedience. Spiritually speaking, if we do his will- if we eat what is good - we will never go hungry. In fact, if we let ourselves, we may even delight in abundance.
Wondering about the inspiration for this article? Look up the New Church, which is based on the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.
Reader Comments (2)
One thought I have about the "buying" without money and without price, is a sense of commitment. When you buy something you are investing in it and it shows that you value it. So the Lord is asking us to "buy" the teachings in his Word, to engage with them and choose of our own volition to live them and make them our own.
Good thought! I had that sense too, but didn't have the words you just gracefully encapsulated that idea with.