John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 55:3

"Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." — Isaiah 55:3 (ASV)

Incline your ear. This phrase makes even more evident what I briefly mentioned earlier: that God leaves nothing undone which is suited to correct and stir us from our sluggishness. Yet there is an implied rebuke, for those must be exceptionally dull who do not instantly obey when they are called so gently.

This is a noteworthy passage, from which we see that our entire happiness depends on obeying the word of God. When God speaks this way, His objective is to lead us to life; therefore, the blame rests entirely with us, because we disregard this saving and life-giving word.

And come to me. If God only commanded what we should do, He would indeed establish the method of obtaining life, but to no avail, for the Law, which came from the mouth of God, is the minister of death. But when He invites us to Himself, when He adopts us as children, and when He promises pardon of sin and sanctification, the result is that those who hear obtain life from Him.

Therefore, we ought to consider the kind of doctrine that contains life, so that we may seek our salvation from it. From this we infer that there is no hope of salvation if we do not obey God and His word. This rebukes all humanity, so that they can offer no excuse for their ignorance, for whoever refuses to hear can have no solid argument to defend their case.

These repetitions illustrate God's patience in calling us. For He does not merely invite us once; but when He sees that we are sluggish, He gives a second and even a third warning to overcome our hardheartedness. Thus, He does not immediately reject those who despise Him, but only after having frequently invited them.

Furthermore, this describes the nature of faith, when He bids us come to Himself. We ought to hear the Lord in such a way that faith will follow. For those who by faith receive the word of God have set aside their desires and despised the world; they may be said to have broken their chains, so that they readily and cheerfully draw near to God.

But faith cannot be formed without hearing (Romans 10:17)—that is, without understanding the word of God—and so He bids us hear before we come to Him. Thus, whenever faith is mentioned, let us remember that it must be connected to the word, in which it has its foundation.

And I will strike a covenant of eternity with you. It is asked: Did the Jews not formerly enter into an everlasting covenant with God? For He appears to promise something new and uncommon.

I reply, nothing new is promised here for which the Lord had not formerly made an engagement with His people. Instead, it is a renewal and confirmation of the covenant, so that the Jews might not think that God's covenant was nullified because of the long-continued exile.

For when they were exiled from the country that had been promised to them, when they had no temple or sacrifices, or any marks of the covenant except circumcision, who would not have concluded that it was all over for them? Therefore, Isaiah adapted this manner of expression to the people's understanding, so that they might know that the covenant God entered into with the fathers was firm, sure, and eternal, and not changeable or temporary.

This is also what He means by the mercies of David; by this phrase He declares that it was a covenant of free grace, for it was founded on nothing other than the absolute goodness of God. Therefore, whenever the word covenant appears in Scripture, we ought at the same time to remember the word grace.

By calling them the faithful mercies of David, He declares that He will be faithful to it. At the same time, He indirectly states that He is faithful and steadfast and cannot be accused of falsehood, as if He had broken His covenant. The Jews, on the other hand, are covenant-breakers and traitors (for they have revolted from Him), but He cannot repent of His covenant or His promise.

He calls them the mercies of David because this covenant, which has now been solemnly confirmed, was made in the land of David. The Lord indeed entered into a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:5; Genesis 17:7), afterwards confirmed it through Moses (Exodus 2:24; Exodus 33:1), and finally ratified this very covenant through David, that it might be eternal (2 Samuel 7:12).

Therefore, whenever the Jews thought of a Redeemer—that is, of their salvation—they ought to have remembered David as a mediator who represented Christ. For David must not be regarded here as a private individual, but as bearing this title and character.

Yet, consideration must be given to the time when this prophecy was uttered. For, since the royal status had been obliterated and the name of the royal family had become insignificant and contemptible during the Babylonian captivity, it might seem as if God's truth had decayed through the ruin of that family. Therefore, He bids them contemplate by faith the throne of David, which had been overthrown.