Isaiah 55 opens like a street vendor calling across a market, and then the offer stops making sense.
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.Isaiah 55:1
Come and buy, says the prophet, if you have no money. Anyone who has ever run a counter knows that is no way to do business. And that is the point.
We are not good at free
Most of us are more comfortable with a bill. A bill tells us where we stand. If we pay it, we owe nobody and we get to keep our dignity. Grace is harder, because the only thing you can do with a gift that size is receive it, and say thank you, and let it change you.
So we try to run a tab. We promise to do better. We count up our good weeks. We quietly decide that God must be disappointed and that we should stay away until we have something to show for ourselves.
The prophet has no patience for that. The next verse asks a sharp question: “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?”
What it does cost
Free does not mean cheap. It cost the one who poured it everything. It simply does not cost you anything you could pay.
The only requirement on Isaiah’s menu is the first word after the call: “every one that thirsteth.” If you are thirsty, you qualify. Put your wallet away and sit down.