“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 55:7 Mean?
Isaiah calls the wicked to forsake their way and the unrighteous to forsake their thoughts. The invitation is to comprehensive change — not just behavior (way) but thinking (thoughts). Both external conduct and internal patterns must be abandoned.
"Let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him" — the return is to a person, not a system. Repentance is relational, not transactional. You are returning to someone who is waiting with mercy.
"And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" — the pardon is not measured or grudging. It is abundant — exceeding what you expected, overflowing, more mercy than the sin required. The verb form emphasizes multiplication — God multiplies pardoning.
The verse follows the free offer of Isaiah 55:1 (come, buy without money). The repentance is offered alongside the generosity — the same passage that gives water, wine, and bread without price also offers unlimited pardon without conditions beyond returning.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'way' do you need to forsake — what pattern of living needs to be completely abandoned?
- 2.What 'thoughts' do you need to forsake — what mental patterns are keeping you from God?
- 3.How does 'abundantly pardon' change your fear of approaching God after failure?
- 4.What is the difference between returning to God and returning to religious performance?
Devotional
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Forsake. Not manage. Not moderate. Forsake — abandon completely. Walk away from the way that led you here. Let go of the thoughts that keep you there.
Let him return unto the LORD. The movement is homeward. Not into a system or a program — toward a person. The LORD is waiting. And what he holds out is not judgment but mercy.
He will have mercy upon him. The mercy is not conditional on the quality of your repentance. It is conditional on the direction of your movement. Turn toward God and mercy meets you.
He will abundantly pardon. Abundantly. Not carefully. Not proportionally. The pardoning is excessive — more forgiveness than the sin warranted. God does not pardon efficiently. He pardons lavishly.
If you have been waiting to be good enough to return — waiting to deserve the mercy, to earn the pardon — this verse says: come now. Forsake. Return. The mercy is not measured against your merit. It is measured against God's character. And his character is abundant.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Let the wicked forsake his way,.... His evil way, as the Targum paraphrases it, his wicked course of life; and which is…
Let the wicked ... - In this verse we are told what is necessary in order to seek God and to return to him, and the…
We have here a further account of that covenant of grace which is made with us in Jesus Christ, both what is required…
the unrighteous man lit., "the man of evil" or falsehood.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture