God invites us to “come” and even “calls” us to do things. But let’s be honest, sometimes we do just as He asks and sometimes we refuse to heed His call. Take a look at what the Bible says about coming as God invites and calls [1] and going when He warns.
Invitation to Come
For Cleansing
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
To Fellowship
Numbers 10:29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.
To the Feast
Luke 14:17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
To the King
Matthew 22:4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
For Rest
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Into Safety & Salvation
Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
Whosoever
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Refusal to Come
Psalm 81:11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; And Israel would none of me.
Isaiah 65:12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, And ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: Because when I called, ye did not answer; When I spake, ye did not hear; But did evil before mine eyes, And did choose that wherein I delighted not.
Jeremiah 7:13-14 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
Hosea 9:17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: And they shall be wanderers among the nations.
Matthew 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Blessings and Consequences
When we search the Scriptures, we can see even many more times that God called, and the people refused to receive the calling. And then there was the time that God essentially said: “Time out Israel”. For they refused to listen to the truth of the gospel and so God extended the gift of grace to the Gentiles. Even more amazing, he used a former Jew and hater of Christians to do it. Look what Paul preached to the Jewish leaders in Acts 28:23-29:
“And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.”
Final Thoughts
As we can see from these passages, listening to God is quite important. Some listened and were fed great food in the presence of the King. Whosoever comes when the Spirit and Bride say come will never thirst again. Those who came when invited received rest. Even today, when we come to Jesus He lifts our burdens and gives us rest. In contrast, those who refused to come or listen reaped only consequences, like continue battle, hunger and most importantly, eternal damnation because they did not accept the call to salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. If you have not already, won’t you come to Jesus [2] today?
Take a look at this related article: Called to be Like Jesus [3]
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, King James Version.