Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 55:2

"Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." — Isaiah 55:2 (ASV)

Why do you spend money for that which is not bread?

All your care, your toil, your anguish of heart, are spent in a vain desire to get this world. And if you do get it, it is nothing more than bread, and bad bread, too; it cannot satisfy the cravings of your immortal spirit.

Why do you waste your time and money trying to get that which is not worth having? Will you hunt after shadows? Will you pursue the wind?

And your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

True religion gives substantial joy to the heart; it is no dream; it is a blessed reality, as those of us know who have tried it. If you will come and have it, you shall eat what is really good, and your soul shall find such a satisfaction in it that you shall delight yourself in fatness.

Why do you spend money for that which is not bread?

Why are you so busy with your ceremonies, your peddling of works, your feelings, none of which can yield food for your soul? Come to Christ, and buy without money the Bread of Life which came down from heaven.

And your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

If we only hear the gospel, and attentively hear it, faith cometh by hearing, and that faith leads us to Jesus Christ, and in him we find that which is substantial, solid, the very thing we need.

We find in Christ all that is super-excellent, so that our soul delights itself in fatness. I have no lean Christ to preach to you, no half-starved salvation that will drag you into heaven, and save you so as by fire. But in coming to Christ, you are invited to let your soul delight itself in fatness.

A Christian cannot be too happy; the joy of the Lord is beyond all description. You must taste it to prove its sweetness.

As honey among the sweets, such is the joy of the Lord among joys; indeed, as the sun and the lesser lights in the sky, such is the joy of Christ compared with all other delights that people can ever know. Let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

All your largest desires you will find in Christ; you will have not only necessities, but delicacies, delights that will satisfy you to the full, you will not be able to conceive of anything that will be more rich and full than the grace of God.

Hearken diligently unto me, –

Thus speaks the Lord Jehovah: "Hearken diligently unto me, –"

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?

Seeking happiness in a thousand ways with much toil and trouble, but with bitter disappointment.

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

God invites his creature to listen to him. "Do," he says, "but lend me your ear a little. Do but listen diligently to what I have to tell you." Oh! should not God's message of love command the attention of all mankind?

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?

Why do you seek to get comfort for your souls where you will never get it? Why do you try to content your immortal nature upon things that will die? There is nothing here below that can satisfy you. Why spend your money then for these things, and your labour for nothing?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

God has real food for your soul – something that will make you truly happy. He will satisfy you, not with the name of goodness, but with the reality of it, if you will only come and have it. You will have fullness – you will have delight – if you are only willing to come and receive it.

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?

Why do you act this way? Can you give any explanation of such folly? The gospel is consistent with the highest reason; and to believe in Christ is not a thing for which we need make any apology. It is a foolish thing not to believe in him, a foolish thing to be living for the world, to be spending our time and strength for your attainment of some inferior object which can never satisfy the soul.

This "wherefore" is not applicable to the Christian; it is applicable to the worldling; yet he often thinks himself the only wise man on the face of the earth, Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?

Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and you eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

Apart from God, there is nothing for us but destruction. We may spend our money, and our labour, too, but happiness is not to be found by the creature apart from the Creator, or by a sinner apart from the Saviour. God has so constituted the human mind that it cannot be perfect without him.

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?

The less value there is in any religion, the more you have to pay for it. The pardon that cost a shilling is not worth a farthing, but that which costs us nothing is worth more than the whole world.

Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

All that your largest desires can long for you will find in Christ.

You will have not only necessities, but delicacies, delights that will satisfy you to the full; you will not be able to conceive of anything that will be more rich and full than the grace of God. The gospel is "that which is good"; indeed, it is the best food our souls can ever eat; it gratifies, it satisfies, and fills our spirits with holy joy and exhilaration.

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?

If you spend your money for that which is not bread, you are likely to be disappointed. "Oh, but," you say, "I have made many an effort." Yes, I know you have; but, if you labour for "that which satisfieth not," I do not wonder that you are not satisfied. Let your past defeats drive you to your God. If you have failed until now, so much the more reason why you should listen to the Lord's message.

He says to you—

Hearken diligently unto me,

Salvation comes through the ear, more than through the eye.

Hearken; hearken; hearken diligently, with both your ears, with all your heart, hearken unto your God.

And eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

If we will hear, and will believe, we shall be satisfied; we shall be delighted; we shall be overjoyed. The Lord can take our thirst away, and give instead a delight in fatness.

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?

Why do you seek to get comfort for your souls where you will never get it? Why do you try to content your immortal nature upon things that will die? There is nothing here below that can satisfy you. Why spend your money, then, for these things, and your labour for nothing?

Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

God has real food for your soul – something that will make you truly happy. He will satisfy you, not with the name of goodness, but with the reality of it, if you will only come and have it. You will have fullness – you will have delight – if you are only willing to come and receive it.