55:10  The rain and snow fall from the sky
and do not return,
but instead water the earth
and make it produce and yield crops,
and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat.
55:11 In the same way, the promise that I make
does not return to me, having accomplished nothing.
No, it is realized as I desire
and is fulfilled as I intend.”

In Urban Legends of the Old Testament: 40 Common Misconceptions, David A Croteau and Gary E. Yates summarise a popular (mis)understanding of this text.  It is thought by many to give assurance that our efforts to proclaim God’s word will always be effective, despite appearances, and despite any carelessness or insensitivity on our part.

This text also features strongly in the teaching of ‘health and prosperity’ and word/faith advocates.  The following is somewhat typical, in ascribing a (quasi-magical!) power not only to God’s words but to our own:

“My words will not return void.  That’s true – My words will not return void.  But, turn it around to you – your words will also not return void.  It shall accomplish that which you please – Your words will bring about what you have said.  What you want comes from your heart. It shall prosper in the thing whereto I send it – The words you speak are like seeds – they will be planted, and a tree will grow and prosper, and the tree will produce fruit.  The resulting prosperity will either result in producing good fruit or bad fruit, depending on what you speak.  Do you want good fruit or bad fruit in your life?”

The same writer urges:

‘Speak God’s word over your life.  Find scriptures that speak to your spirit – your heart.  We also should be saying and declaring what God has promised can happen in our life. After you find the bible verses that line up with what you want to happen in your life, then declare them daily.’

Croteau and Yates agree that other passages of Scripture do speak of the power of God’s word to overcome the inadequacies of the teacher:

‘Paul reminds us that God works through the “foolishness” of preaching (1 Cor 1:18–25). Hebrews 4:12 teaches us that God’s Word is like a piercing sword that is able to penetrate deeply into people’s hearts and minds. Paul reminds us that our task when proclaiming God’s Word is often to plant or water seeds that will later bear fruit in people’s lives (1 Cor 3:5–9). James 1:21 also states that the Word of God is the seed that produces faith leading to salvation.’

We can readily agree with Kevin A. Miller that ‘God’s Word has a power beyond my own skill level’:

‘God says, in effect: My word will never go forth and come back empty. It will always accomplish what I send it out to do. It’s unfailing. My word has an inherent power to change, shape, and affect things. It will always make an impact.’

(The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching, chapter 201)

However, we go seriously astray if we use this as an excuse for laziness or carelessness in handling Scripture or insensitivity in communicating with one’s hearers.  This Scripture assures us that God’s promises hold firm, but does not give us some kind of blanket assurance that whenever we put God’s word out there, it will have its intended effect, regardless of how we do it.

Furthermore, although God’s word can indeed accomplish far more than we ask or think, we should never treat it as some kind of magical charm.

According to Croteau and Yates, the message of this passage, in context, is that God will be faithful to his promises of forgiveness and salvation:

‘The message in Isa 55:1–13 that concludes chapters 40–55 invites Israel to receive God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation. The Lord would take the initiative to redeem his people from exile and give the Servant as the sacrifice for their sins, but the people would have to respond to what God was doing on their behalf. They might not fully understand how the Lord would bring about their restoration, but they could trust him to fulfill his promises. The banquet of blessings was prepared, but the people had to choose to come to the table and freely eat and drink of the blessings that the Lord would provide for them (vv. 1–5). They needed to seek the Lord and turn from their sinful ways to receive forgiveness of their sins, recognizing that their thoughts and ways were not the same as the Lord’s (vv. 6–9). The promise concerning the reliability of God’s word in verses 10–11 serves to motivate the people’s response, because the word of God guaranteed that he would forgive their sins and bless them if they truly turned to him.1 God’s word is as effective in accomplishing what it has promised as the rain and snow in nourishing the earth so that it is able to produce seed and crops for food. Shalom M. Paul explains the imagery in this way: “The Lord’s word is compared to precipitation, which soaks the earth and makes it bloom. Just as rain and snow do not return to the sky until they quench the earth’s thirst . . . so too the Lord’s promise to redeem Israel shall come to pass.” Those who responded in faith would know the “joy” and “peace” of the abundant blessings that God had in store for his people in the place of the sorrow and suffering of exile (vv. 12–13).’