Context

I have my alarm clock set to the Christian radio station, and I usually catch the tail end of a through-the-night kind of program that plays music and has little devotional thoughts throughout. Drew and I have a running joke about the man who hosts that program – I used to call him ‘creepy man’ because he has this deep, soothing voice and when the radio comes on and it’s just him talking, sometimes it can be a little creepy sounding, just this sleepy man’s voice droning on in my room as I move into wakefulness. Drew and his boss call him ‘sleepy man’ because of the droning quality of his voice as they would hear him while driving in to run before work.

The other day when Sleepy Man came on he was in the middle of his parting devotional thought, so I only caught the tail end of it. I tell you that to admit that maybe I took him out of context, something I’m about to accuse him of doing with Scripture, so I’m aware that I may have missed something. I’m not sure what he was saying at first because I was just waking up, but I think it was something about looking out for others or not being selfish or caring about others or something along those lines, and as I listened he quoted the first part of Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way;” and he emphasized “to his own way,” and said something about looking out for others. I don’t remember his exact words, but at that point I bolted more fully awake and said, out loud, “That’s not what that verse means!” I talk to the man on the radio. I talk to people on TV and movies, too, but that’s a whole other post. I also kept waiting for him to finish the verse: “And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

The reason I even bring this up is that I really hate it when people take a verse of scripture out of context and try to make it say something it isn’t saying to make the point they want to make. Especially in devotionals where we aren’t doing in depth teaching should we be careful about this. And even if the point they are making is, in fact, a biblically accurate point, I have a problem with ripping a verse out of context and forcing it to say something it isn’t saying in context. Why not go to a passage of Scripture that actually is making the point you want to make? Seems to me that would be a more responsible handling of the Word. Again, I was half asleep during most of what the man was saying so I may have completely missed his point, and if so, I apologize. But the reason that particular scripture and misapplication of it jumped out at me is because I have been working to memorize Isaiah 53 and I’ve been thinking about that chapter a lot recently. And there are plenty of scriptures that illustrate the point that we should not be self-centered and should look to the needs of others if that was the point he was trying to make.

In context, that verse is saying that all of us have gone our own way as opposed to God’s way, not that we are merely ignoring our neighbor or not looking out for others, but that we are antagonistic toward our Creator. I’ll grant that a huge facet of our sin nature is the fact that we are extremely self-centered, but the point of Isaiah 53:6 isn’t that we’re ignoring the needs of others, but that we are in rebellion to God and in need of a Savior. I can think of lots of verses that would have illustrated the need to look out for the interests of others, for example, Philippians 2:3-4, which says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

But Isaiah 53:6 isn’t saying that. Isaiah 53 is all about the Suffering Servant (Jesus) who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Isaiah 53:6 is all about how all of our iniquity (sin) was laid on Him. The fact that we have all turned to our own way is in the same way that the people of Israel in the book of Judges were doing what was right in their own eyes. They did what was right in their own eyes, as opposed to what God says is right. We have turned to our own way as opposed to God’s way. This is the iniquity that is laid on Him, this is why the chastisement for our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed. (Is. 53:5) Hallelujah! What a Savior! Meditating on Isaiah 53 has been very meaningful, making me so incredibly grateful for the salvation Christ attained for us in the Cross and His resurrection. The fact that I am clothed in His righteousness, that He went to the cross to atone for my sin and reconcile me to God, granting me peace with God!

So, while part of the going our own way very well may include not looking out for the interests of others, it isn’t the totality of it.

Then again, maybe I just ripped Sleepy Man’s words out of context, too. I was half asleep, after all. I hope so. But that hasn’t been the only instance I’ve found myself arguing with him as I try to wake up in the morning, either, though for the most part what he has to say is okay most mornings. But sometimes I sort of wish it was just music at that hour.