Recently, I saw a comment by a US Serviceman regarding the atrocities being committed in a foreign land by a radical religious group. The substance of the comment was a quote from the Old Testament: “the Lord asked ‘who will go for us?’ And I replied, ‘here am I, send me!’”
Now, before I lose too many of you, let me preface this by saying that I am incredibly grateful to all of our servicemen and women for defending the freedoms that we have in the US. I never will comprehend fully the sacrifices that they make. I also believe that the things being done by radical groups abroad are acts of evil, and cannot be allowed to continue. That said – hear me out.
Isaiah 6:8 was the inspiration for the comment from our serviceman. Let’s zoom out.
The first couple dozen chapters of the book of Isaiah are, in essence, God telling his people (Israel) – through the prophet Isaiah – that they will be destroyed for turning their backs on Him. Isaiah 6 is the point where God calls for a messenger, “someone must go tell my people…” And Isaiah jumps in and volunteers. Then God finishes, “…that they will be destroyed by invaders.” Isaiah takes these promises of judgment to the people of Israel. Then God follows through on His promises, and Israel is conquered by Assyria, and later, Babylon.
So, taken in context, what our serviceman has said is that he will go to warn the persecuted that they are going to be destroyed by their oppressors. I believe the intended message was that our serviceman has volunteered to go liberate the oppressed, and vanquish the persecutor.
Context matters.
But wait – there’s more.
The majority of their co-religionists have disowned these radicals, stating that they employ holy scripture removed from it’s original context to motivate and justify their actions. Much the same as we shun Jim Jones, the Army of God, or any other radical group within our own religion.
It seems mildly hypocritical to declare war on a group whose foundational beliefs are derived from their scripture taken out of context by taking our own scripture out of context.
Let us not sully a noble cause by perverting scripture to support our endeavors.
Context matters.
Massaging scripture to serve our own agendas is not a new concept, nor is it exclusive to other religions. The Crusades were conducted under the guise of reclaiming the Holy Land. The Spanish Inquisition was conducted by the “Church.” Slavery was preached from pulpits across the south little more than a hundred and fifty years ago. Women still are fighting the lingering effects of being viewed as property or second-class citizens because “wives should submit to their husbands.”
Context matters.
Lest anyone find themselves under the impression that our God is a harsh or cruel God, let us return to Isaiah.
Isaiah’s calling was to prophesy judgment on the people of Israel. Which he did. A lot. Destruction abounds in those 66 chapters between Song of Songs and Jeremiah. However, that was not the entirety of Isaiah’s prophecy; he also promised hope and deliverance after justice had been served. God delivered on this promise in the form of the Persian Empire’s ouster of the Babylonian empire, freeing the Israelites to return to their homeland.
It is this message that inspired me to used Isaiah 6:8 for my T-Shirts. In the present day, Christians carry the message that this kingdom has fallen under judgment, but that God promised deliverance, executed perfect justice, and welcomed us to His Kingdom through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.
It seems too often that we get caught up in the judgment and destruction that God rained down on His people, and overlook the second half of the promise – deliverance and prosperity. Similarly, today we find ourselves mired in the violence and negativity rampant in the media, and forget about the blessings of grace and mercy, and the promise not for a safe journey, but of safe delivery gifted to us by our loving Father.
Context matters.
The Bible is a window through which we see God. When we use scripture out of context we distort the perception of God. God does not change, but our perception of God, and/or the perception of God for those around us will change.
There could be any number of reasons for finding scripture out of context. We may have pulled an excerpt to be agreeable with our own agenda. Or the enemy may present the scripture with deceitful intent. Whatever the case, scripture applied outside of its intended context can have serious repercussions.
Maybe, from this point forward, we (I am included in “we”) should pause, and ask ourselves if we are applying scripture in its intended context. Because, after all…
Context matters.
