“Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me. I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:21-22 ESV
Reflection: how are we to interpret and understand the Bible?
Growing up in Norway, the subject of History was significant in school. And, in my senior year of High School, my final exams included an oral exam in History, one of the most feared exams. Not everyone had to take an oral exam; only those “selected” as it was somewhat of a lottery system. In addition to being selected for History, I drew the topic of the Second World War, which I actually was happy with since it interested me at the time. After knowing the topic, we got a couple of days to prepare. The exam went well as I was able to answer the questions and talk through all the topics given. But, as I think back, the history we learned in school, including dates, what happened, who were the good guys and the bad guys, etc., was never up for debate. It was taught as an absolute, a set of facts not to be discussed, but to be memorized. And, of course, regurgitated to the examiners.
Winston Churchill famously said “History is written by the victors”. Although probably not his original phrase, it tells us that even in a dry, fact-based subject like history, there can be intentional bias. Certain facts included, and, some excluded as what benefits the victor best. I had not considered that in High School, nor would it have helped me get a good grade on my History exams. But, it is very important to understand this, as we consider the world and events going on around us. To not just accept what is presented, even if it is from a textbook, a research paper, a professor or well known teacher. And, unfortunately even from many priests, preachers, even bible scholars who might be uniformed about portions of bible history. Just because they have a title, and are teaching, we need critical thinking to evaluate whether what they say is actually correct. Are they representing the heart of God? The truth is that, they too, have received their knowledge and training from somewhere, such as a Bible college; a seminary. But, is that school teaching the truth?
Let’s look at a simple example, of how quickly something can become misinterpreted. In the first focus verse today, we read “Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.” Isaiah 44:21 ESV. Who is the Lord talking to, or about? We see two names here, Jacob and Israel. The general use of the name “Jacob” refers to the grandson of Abraham, the father of the twelve (thirteen) sons, or tribes, of Israel. Why are they called the tribes of “Israel”? Because they were the sons of Jacob who God renamed “Israel”, see Genesis 32. So the name Israel has multiple meanings here; mainly the new name of Jacob; the people who came from the sons of Israel (Jacob), referred to therefore as “Israelites”. But, there is more. The twelve tribes were split into two kingdoms; the Southern, which consisted of two of the twelve tribes of Benjamin and Judah; they were the “Judahites”, and then the Northern kingdom which were the other ten tribes and became the “Israelites”. Then finally, we have the spiritual Israel. But, what about the physical land? The Bible does not use Israel to refer to land; only people and descendants of Jacob. The land that was promised by God in Genesis 15 was to Abraham and his descendants, long before Jacob.
At the time Isaiah wrote these words of the Lord, He was not referring to Jacob as a living person, as he was long gone. We see a similar reference back in chapter 41, “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;”Isaiah 41:8 ESV; both Abraham and Jacob being gone. He must be talking to the descendants, and the spiritual descendants of Israel (Jacob), as He is referring to them as His servants. So here the name Israel must be the spiritual descendants, children of God, through Jesus Christ the redeemer as we see in the final verse in focus today. We read “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:21-22 ESV. This is clearly a foretelling of what was to come 100s of years later, a prophecy of the Messiah, the redeemer, who would blot out the transgressions of “Israel”.
Let’s make sure we are not confused and misled. We know that only those who receive the redeemer Jesus Christ, and believe in His name, are born again by God. There is only one redeemer, one way to the Father, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”” Acts 4:12 ESV. “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”1 John 5:20 ESV.
