Why spend money on what is not bread, and labor for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest foods. Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David (Isaiah 55:2-3).

Prophet Isaiah warns against investing effort in things that do not fulfill. He urges us to listen to God, to “eat what is good,” and enjoy abundant blessings. The connection he draws between attentive listening and nourishing eating is thought-provoking: paying attention to what is good nourishes our souls. Listening becomes an act of nourishment, and what we choose to listen to influences our growth.

The core truth humans need is found in God’s word. This truth is the most beneficial and helpful thing for mankind, acting as the spiritual tonic and sustenance necessary to restore glory—”For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body” (Proverbs 4:22).

Jeremiah also testifies that after finding and consuming God’s words, they became his joy and delight. “Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).

We should fill our hearts completely with God’s words, for they are living water (Jeremiah 17:13), quenching our spiritual thirst. They are the living bread from heaven. Jesus affirms, “Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” He clarifies that His words are Spirit and life. Just as our bodies are nourished by food, our spiritual strength depends on what we hear and meditate upon.

Moreover, if I declare that I will build and establish a nation or kingdom, yet it does evil and does not listen to My voice, I will withdraw the good I intended for it (Jeremiah 18:9-10).