Forming Faith Blog

A Promise of Abundance (Isaiah 55)

Posted on December 8 2025 by Gregory Rawn

Isaiah 55 gives the people in exile a promise of abundance, freedom, and joy. Our God is always near and always can be found, waiting for us to turn and experience God’s eternal love.

An abundance of food on a table.
Still in Exile

This reading in Isaiah 55 marks the sixth and final reading in the Narrative Lectionary’s overview of the prophets and the fourth to the Israelites in exile. Jeremiah wrote to the Jewish elders near the beginning of the exile, while the stories in Daniel gave the exiles an example of standing firm in their faith. Last week, the vision of dry bones gave hope to those who were feeling hopeless. Isaiah 55 gives the people more promises of hope and restoration.

As I understand it, the Babylonian exile was the single-most important and traumatic event in the history of the Israelites, and perhaps even the Jewish people as a whole (though I’m definitely not qualified to say that). Most of the Hebrew Bible was written down during or shortly after the exile as a way to understand what happened and how to prevent such a thing from happening in the future. From the identity-establishing origin stories of Genesis and Exodus to the cycle of obedience, disobedience, and repentance in Judges, from the behavior worthy of condemnation in the histories to the promises of the prophets, the written Scriptures were influenced by this event. Even the Pharisees in Jesus’ time were focused on obedience to the Torah to prevent another exile.

Abundance for Those in Scarcity

As far as I can tell, the exile was not nearly as bad as the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt. The Jewish people in exile were not enslaved. Some were even established enough that, when they eventually were free to return to their homeland, they opted to stay. But that doesn’t mean that things were peachy-keen. They had still been forcibly removed from their homeland, and their temple destroyed. Many still felt abandoned by their God. They still could not leave or return home.

In verses 1 and 2, God promises the people an abundance of free, rich foods. This only works as a promise if they are not experiencing this abundance now. Wealthy people can spend money without a noticeable impact on their wealth, and they can purchase whatever food they crave. While not free, their abundant, rich food is basically free to them. 

It is a promise to people who go hungry or have to stretch their money to keep food on the table. Even in my family, food is the biggest expense after housing, so bringing that budget line to zero would make a significant impact.

In our world, scarcity—some of which is artificial—is the reality. That is not God’s intention. God’s peace—shalom—is the state when all people have everything they need to thrive. Every resource (including intangibles like safety and freedom) is abundant. That is the opposite of scarcity, and that is exactly what God is promising here.

Reversal for Those Oppressed

The next section (verses 3-5) brings the people back to God’s promise to King David:

“Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house [dynasty]. … I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. … I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. … But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”

2 Samuel 7:11b, 12b, 13b, 15-16

God’s promise here is about more than the continuation of a particular family line. It is a promise that God’s people will always be a people, not just individuals scattered throughout the world. It also became a promise of an anointed leader from David’s line: the Messiah.

Here and elsewhere, Israel under the Messiah will not only be independent from other nations, but it will be their focal point. Chapter 56 follows up on this by promising an honored place for foreigners and other outsiders who worship God and that God’s house would be for all people (Isaiah 56:7).

For whom would this be a promise, a promise of national independence and honor among all nations? It would be good news for those who were oppressed and derided by other nations, those stripped of their freedom and self-determination.

This is not a promise for those in power, especially for those oppressing others. Yes, the nations stream to Israel, but in a subordinate position, not a superior one. God promises an upside-down world, a Great Reversal.

Restoration for Those Separated

The prophets make clear that the exile is a consequence of the people’s idolatry and injustice, their refusal to follow God’s ways. While God never abandoned them, they abandoned God. They turned and walked away, causing a self-imposed separation. In a way, the Babylonian exile was a historical metaphor for this. Their separation from God led to their separation from God’s land and God’s house.

But God’s wrath is merely the result of God’s steadfast love encountering unrepentant disobedience. If God did not love God’s people with an everlasting love, then God would have thrown up God’s metaphorical hands and let them go their own way forever. A good, loving parent does not discipline their child out of spite but to help their child be—and become—a responsible and kind person.

A Translation Question

I do not know Hebrew. Period. But I do know that translation is a difficult task that sometimes requires translators to fill in the gaps (subject to their theology). This is why different translations diverge at times. I was curious about the phrases “while [God] may be found” and “while [God] is near” in verse 6. It sounds like this is a limited-time offer, that God is near and findable now but won’t be in the future. That doesn’t match with God’s steadfast love and constant presence described in the rest of Scripture. So, I did a little, inexpert digging and found that the prepositional prefix used here usually means “in.” In that case, it would be “in his finding” and “in his being near.” A (very) few translations follow this, including the Contemporary English Version:

Turn to the LORD! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near.

Isaiah 55:6

Even if my grammar study is totally off, we do know from the rest of Scripture that God IS findable and God IS always near us. It’s never too late to turn to God because God is always turned toward us.

Joy for Those in Sadness

The last set of verses in this chapter (verses 12-13) is a promise of joy. This joy will be so powerful that nature itself cannot help but sing and dance. The painful, thorny shrubs will be replaced by the majestic cypress and flowering myrtle trees. 

I will take another issue with the NRSV in verse 12a:

For you shall go out in joy and be led back in peace.

This is an example of Hebrew parallelism. It sounds like these are opposites (going out/leaving and being led back/returning), but a precise translation indicates both are “out” or “forth,” not back. They will go out and be led out from exile back to the Promised Land. Perhaps the NRSV means that the people will go out from Babylon and be led back to Israel.

But this is a promise of return from exile, and not only the physical return as described in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah (which was not all sunshine and roses), but a deliverance to a future reality characterized by shalom as in verses 1 and 2. The promise of joy is most impactful for those who are sad, depressed, or without hope. 

Promises for Advent

These promises in Isaiah 55 are like most promises in the Prophets: promises to a particular people in a particular situation (mostly in Babylonian exile). But their God is our God, and God can do more than one thing at the same time. During this Advent time of waiting, it is good to hear God’s promises in their universal scope. God’s promises to the Jewish people in exile were not completely fulfilled when they returned to the Promised Land. 

In Advent, we wait to celebrate God’s incarnation, but we also wait for the complete fulfillment of God’s promises. When Christ returns, he will remake the world into a place of abundance, joy, reconciliation, and shalom—a reality defined by the endless circle of love: from God, to God, and to others.

In God’s peace,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

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