“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.” – Isaiah 55:2
I’ve read Isaiah 55 numerous times and even reflected on the blessings God gives to those who seek him. Earlier this week, however, as I read through this passage once again, I was struck by the latter part of verse 2, “eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”
Many people in our culture are waking up to the need to assess the quality of their food. People are asking where their food comes from, how it is handled, and how nutritious it is. There is greater awareness of the value of eating foods that are harvested and prepared locally, not only for freshness, but for a more intimate knowledge of the source of the food.
These concerns come for good reason. For a long time, we ingested food with little concern for its origins. We were busy taking fuel into our bodies that would become a part of who we are with no thought of where it comes from or what the effects of that food might be for our health down the road. With greater education and awareness, we are discovering better ways to healthy living and are maturing in our ability to make more healthy choices in our diet.
Interestingly, a similar struggle exists in our spiritual diet. All too often, we spend our lives living on meager portions of spiritual food, or on what is often little more than junk food. We give up spiritual currency to buy what will never truly satisfy, making us weaker than we were when we started. We ingest what looks like nourishment for our spirits without considering much of its source or its impact on our future, and find ourselves hungry and wanting in the end.
One simple, but illustrative example is the classic quote, “God helps those who help themselves.” I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard this said, and declared with the conviction that accompanies the word of God. The only problem is, it is not the word of God. It is instead, the words of Benjamin Franklin. While I am sure Mr. Franklin had good intentions in expressing this thought, the biblical witness suggests something completely different. If you read enough scripture, you quickly discover that the heart of the message is that God helps those who cannot help themselves. Instead of God expecting us to make the effort to be a little better, God invites us to allow his grace to transform us into new creatures, far better than we could ever become on our own. This is just one of many examples of ideas we receive as truth that may not be truth at all.
Isaiah makes the way to a healthier spiritual life easy to grasp, “eat what is good.” If we will exercise some discernment in what we take into our spirits, we will see a greater health, strength, and depth come forth as the result. If we will consider the source of our spiritual food and be willing to avoid spiritual junk food, even if it is popular, we will be able to delight in the rich fare that only God provides.
Our bodies and our spirits may be weak and out of shape because of previous choices, but the good news is that small changes in the right direction have an impact right away and can lead us down a path to greater health more quickly than we think. Today is a good day to begin; a good day to test all things and hold fast to what is true, and to taste and see that the Lord is good. May today be the day we choose to eat what is good and celebrate the good health that follows.
