"SEEK … CALL … FORSAKE … RETURN"
Isaiah 55:6-7

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Jesus Christ commenced His earthly ministry by declaring, "Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).

The repentance Christ requires is not a mere worldly sorrow or penitence, that of one who regrets the discovery of his sin and its consequences. The murderer Cain exercised this kind of sorrow (Genesis 4:13f), but did not repent of his sin and seek forgiveness, and consequently died unsaved (1 John 3:12; Jude v.11). Rather, true repentance results from "godly sorrow [that] produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted", and is evidenced in "indignation" against the offense and a "vehement desire" for "clearing" and to be "vindicated" (2 Corinthians 7:9-11).

The faith Christ requires is not a mere historical faith, or mere mental assent to the historical truths regarding Him. Even Satan and his demons exercise this kind of faith – with trembling! (James 2:19). Rather, saving faith is alive and active, not "faith without works [which] is dead" (v.20). For example, Holy Scriptures describe believing in Christ as looking to Him (Isaiah 45:22), calling to Him (Joel 2:32 / Acts 2:21), and coming to Him (Matthew 11:28; Isaiah 55:3).

The repentance and faith required by Christ at the beginning of His earthly ministry (Mark 1:15) is the same He ever required, and the same ever required by His ministers. For example, this same repentance and faith are required by Isaiah the prophet in our present text (Isaiah 55:6f), in which he requires men to seek Christ, call upon Him, forsake all sin, and return to Him.

I. Seek Christ (v.6a): "Seek the LORD while He may be found."

1. What is it so "seek the LORD/Jehovah"? It is to seek Christ, because Christ is Jehovah (Hebrews ch.1), "Lord of lords" (Psalm 136:3; Revelation 17:14; 19:16), and the only Way to the Father (John 14:6).

2. What is it so "seek" Christ? The Hebrew word here translated "seek" (darash) does not mean merely "look for", but "seek with care; resort to". To seek Christ is not to merely look to Him or follow Him in the hope of receiving some blessing from Him, such as those to whom He said "you seek Me ... because you ate of the loaves and were filled" (John 6:26). Such vain seekers will afterward desert Christ (as those did in v.66) and consequently die in their sins. Rather, the promise of Holy Scriptures is that "you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29 [the second "seek" here is from the same Hebrew word as in our present text, but the first is not]). Christ ever assures, "And those who seek me diligently will find me" (Proverbs 8:17). This was certainly true of the magi (Luke 2:1f, 9-11).

The Hebrew word is used also of seeking Jehovah in the sense of entering into a covenantal relationship with Him (2 Chronicles 15:12): "Then they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul." Do not seek casually to know about Christ; Satan and his demons do as much. Rather, seek earnestly with all your heart and soul to know Christ personally and experientially, as your covenant God, and as your Lord and Savior. Believe in Him "with all your heart" (Acts 8:37), trusting nothing else to any degree.

3. When should Christ be sought? "... while He may be found." This clearly implies that Christ cannot be found unless He is willing to be found, and that seeking and finding Him is of His own sovereign grace.

This also clearly implies that there will be times when Christ may not be found by those who seek Him. First, Christ will not be found by any who begin seeking Him after their departure from this earth. The "rich man" Dives discovered this truth too late (Luke 16:22b-26). Second, Christ will not be found by any who begin seeking Him in the day of His judgment upon them for their obstinacy against Him (Proverbs 1:24-30): "...they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke." Accordingly, Christ warned the obstinate: "You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come" (John 7:34); "and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin" (John 8:21).

O sinner, seek Christ while He may be found! "For He says [to all who do], 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you' [Isaiah 49:8]. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion" (Hebrews 3:7).

II. Call upon Christ (v.6b): "Call upon Him while He is near."

1. What is it to "call upon" Christ? It is to cry out urgently for help to the One who is able and willing to respond, and who most certainly shall (Isaiah 58:9; Joel 2:32): "Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am'"; "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." It is to express with the mouth what is believed in the heart (Romans 10:10-13): "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ... For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"

2. When should Christ be called upon? "... while He is near." This clearly implies that there will be times when Christ is not near. Indeed, the same time of judgment when Christ will not be found by those who seek Him will be the same time when He is far from hearing them (Proverbs 1:28): "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me." But He presently comes near to us in the hearing of the gospel (Romans 10:8), and verily assures us, "The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them" (Psalm 145:18f). This was certainly true for the blind beggar Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52).

III. Forsake all evil (v.7a): "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts."

1. What is "the wicked" and "his way"? and "the unrighteous" and "his thoughts"? i. The "wicked" man (Hebrew rasha) is a criminal, one who is guilty of breaking God's law, in contrast to the righteous man who serves God (Malachi 3:18). ii. The "way" of the wicked man is the evil course of life he follows and upon which he walks; and "The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD" (Proverbs 15:9). iii. The "unrighteous man" (Hebrew awen) is an idolater whose life is devoid of any and all goodness, so that he is "worthless" and serving "molded images [of] wind and confusion" (Isaiah 41:29). iv. The "thoughts" of the unrighteous man are the evil designs and purposes that fill his heart; and God saw that "every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). v. All these terms apply to the same person – and each of us is by nature that person (Romans 3:10-18). Each of us is from birth both wicked and unrighteous both outwardly and inwardly.

2. What is it to "forsake" our wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts? It is to completely abandon all evil and every worthless idol, having recognized that all these are contrary to Christ (vv.8f): "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. ..." This is to exercise the first part of evangelical repentance, which is to be followed by ...

IV. Return to Christ (v.7b): "Let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."

1. What is it to "return" to Christ? It is exercise complete evangelical repentance: to not only abandon all evil but also to return to the Christ whom we deserted through our sin. It is to "turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God." (1 Thessalonians 1:9), to exercise "repentance from dead works and faith toward God" (Hebrews 6:1) and "repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21).

2. What will Christ do for such repentant believers? "... He will have mercy on him, ... for He will abundantly pardon." i. In saying "He will have mercy on him," the sense is not that repentance and faith will merit Christ's mercy. Rather, he who returns to Christ will learn that God in mercy and grace has already granted to Him the gifts of both repentance (Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25) and faith (Ephesians 2:8f; Acts 16:14; 18:27; Philippians 1:29), and will continue to do so. ii. In saying "He will abundantly pardon, the meaning is that Christ forgives transgressions in a manner far above all our expectations (Romans 5:20): "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more."

Will you now seek Christ, call upon Him, forsake your evil, and return to Christ? Or will you perish in your sins apart from Christ? We exhort you to "Repent, and believe in the gospel!"

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