Sacred Insight: Context
As you read, look for answers to these questions: What is the context of this scripture? Who wrote it? Who is speaking? At what point in time? Who is the audience? Why?
The book of Isaiah is a book of triple-P threats. That is, is a book of; poetry, prose and prophesy written by the Isaiah – one of the Old Testament’s most prominent prophets. He talked more about the coming Messiah than any other prophet in the Old Testament. So, even though many of his prophesies included wonderful news about the long-awaited savior, not all of his messages were so graciously received. Besides telling people about the coming Messiah, he also was tasked with breaking the news to Israel, Judah and the surrounding nations that they were sinning – and that punishment would be a big part of their future if they didn’t turn from their wicked ways and repent.
This made Isaiah less than popular in his day. After all, nobody then and nobody now loves thinking they’re about to hear a feel-good sermon only to be told that that they’re living a life of sin and they need to repent and turn from their ways (even when it’s true and they need to hear it).
But shaming God’s people was never Isaiah’s intention, nor do the words of this great book reflect an accusatory or demeaning tone. Isaiah simply wanted to imbue the people with a sense for how personally God felt about them. He wanted the people to know that their lives mattered to God and he yearned for the people of Israel to experience the joy of walking side by side with their Heavenly Father – and know that that simply can’t be done when a person has deviated from God’s will and is choosing to sin instead.
The verse just prior to our scripture reads:
Isaiah 55: 7
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Mercy. Forgiveness. This is the message of the Lord. Isaiah wanted the people to know that their sin was separating them from God – from the joy and trust and peace that comes when we turn to God. Our Heavenly Father has buckets of mercy and is just waiting for us to come to him, that he may freely pardon us.
As you study Isaiah 55:8-9, keep in mind that this is the context for our scripture; A people group that, although they are mired in sin, have the hope that God wants to be reunited with them – God wants them to turn back to Him so that they can be richly blessed and live in the light of his love.
When our scripture states that God’s thoughts and ways are not like the ways of humans. Considering the verse just before our passage, where it talks about God’s boundless mercy and free pardon, could it be that Isaiah was pointing how different God is from us in the way that he so easily and quickly forgives us?
What is the context of this scripture? Who wrote it? Who is speaking? At what point in time? Who is the audience? Why?
Name the ways in which God’s thoughts and ways differ from our thoughts and ways.
Live It Out:
- See if you have any of the following: A study Bible, index in the back of your Bible, concordances, historical timelines, etc. What contextual information can you can dig up about the author, the time in history in which it was written, what was going on in the lives of its recipients, etc. Pick any contextual element that interests you and find out more.