Textual Hijackers

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Okay, to listen to this episode. Yeah, a Bible would be great to have, but what you need is some type of timer, some type of stopwatch. I mean it, I need you to pull up a timer right now, a clock, a stopwatch, something that so that you can you can mark down how long it takes before we are inserted into the text. We are going to time it. In fact, what I would like you to do. What I would like you to do is I want you to start, maybe for the next couple of weeks, every sermon you listen to, just set a timer as soon as the sermon begins, hit start, and then just say how long before we are inserted into the text next. This is especially true with sermons from the Old Testament. So we're gonna be timing how long it takes before we are inserted into a text. Are you ready? Are you ready to do that?

1:13 That's all we're gonna That's really all we're going to do. Now. I'm going to challenge why we are inserted into the text and call it into question and tell you all of the problems with doing that. But the main thing is I just want you to see for yourself how quickly preachers in sermons insert people into the text who don't belong there. Okay, are you ready? But before we do that, I have to say welcome everyone. It is Monday, October twenty first, twenty twenty four. It is currently five thirteen pm Central time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central Studio. Keep wanting to say headquarters for some reason, studio located right here in Abilene, Texas.

1:58 It really is becoming the headquarters of, you know, my mental health breakdown. Right, this is really I'm gonna have to turn this studio into a mental hospital. I'm gonna have to hire you know, professionals to come treat me, and then maybe we can do all of the treatments live on the air and you can see my complete breakdown and then hopefully maybe I can be repaired. I don't think there's any repairing me at this point. And what is going to cause my breakdown, Ladies and gentlemen, The thing that's going to cause me to have a complete and total mental breakdown is Christianity. Okay, I know that sounds very negative, but man Alive. It's been a crazy Hasn't it been crazy? If you've been following along with the podcast, hasn't it been nuts? I mean, we next thing, you know, we have a floating axead that represents I don't know, seven hundred and fifty seven thousand things.

2:49 You can go to Proverbs chapter thirty and the next thing, you know, we're talking about eating poor people and heads being chopped off and drinking their blood and eating their flesh. And you're like, what is going on? And what is going on is how Christians handle the Word of God. There is really just there's no there's no guardrails, there's no curb, there's no fence, there's just a complete free for all. It's anarchy. And I know, I what's weird is, in one sense, I always know that I've known this for pretty much most of my Christian life. Of course, now I can much more, I can articulate it much more in the context of church history and of different things.

3:30 I've always known it, but there's been those times where I can just kind of push it back and just move on, right. But then there's sometimes you're just so confronted with the chaos you just you can't. I'll never forget. I'll never forget. When we were in the Book of Revelation and I don't even remember which chapter it was, and I came to the pulpit and told everyone twenty three I think it was twenty twenty three commentaries, and we had like over it was, well, it was so close to a hundred interpretation. It was some crazy number of interpretations for one section. And you're just like, look, just pick what you want. I mean, and when it comes to any verse in the Bible, just pick the interpretation you want. There's bound to be one that will please you. There's bound to be one you will like.

4:18 And I was just listening to a sermon a minute ago that says, you know why the world has a problem with the Bible because they have a problem with what it says. And I want to say, ladies and gentlemen, what are you talking about. The world has a problem with the Bible because they have a problem with what it says. Yeah, because they haven't figured out that they can just make it say whatever they wanted to say, Like us Christians. Due the Christians, our message to the world is don't get bothered by it. Just make it say with whatever you wanted to say, because that's what we do. And then you say you say you make it, say whatever you wanted to say, you say that that agrees with God, and then you say that everyone else is wrong. That's what happens. Sorry, but I'm getting I'm getting sidetracked. Yeah, I'm losing my mind.

5:00 All right. Here we go, ladies and gentlemen, We're about to engage in a very very important scientific study. We are going to test how long it takes before a pastor takes a chapter in the Book of Isaiah and inserts you and I into the text. How long does it take? Now, To be fair, I have fast forwarded this sermon because the beginning of it is simply him reading every single verse, well not every single verse, a good portion of Isaiah forty three. Then he prays, and then after he praise, he goes into a sermon. So we're gonna actually start it where the sermon actually begins, so from the beginning of the actual sermons. So, in other words, if you're listening to a sermon and they're doing their typical hey, thank you for bringing us to this, you know conference, this is the greatest church in the history of the world all the and I let me tell you a joke, dak okay, whatever, and they do all of the little song and dance before when a sermon actually begins. I really want you to start doing this, all right, and you can get your kids involved and get everyone involved.

6:05 All right, We're going to listen to a sermon. Are you ready? How quickly do they insert us into the text? This is perfect for Old Testament sermons, but even in New Testament? All right, but here we go. So the text is Isaiah forty three. The text is Isaiah forty three. Now I could immediately start explaining some facts and statistics to you, but I'm not going to do that. We're gonna listen to this, and we're gonna listen. I want you to time it. How long does it take before we are inserted into the text? You're ready to play along? You're ready? You're ready? All right? This is game day on the Theology Central podcast. In today's game, How quickly does it take before a pastor preaching Isaiah forty three inserts us into the text? Are you ready? Here we go.

7:04 I could spend like Matthew Henry page chapter page, talking about every line here because it's it's such good stuff. But now he's talked when he says, but now he's talking about the rebellion of the people in chapter forty two, and now he says, but now thus says the Lord who created you, oh Jacob, and he who formed you, Oh Israia this word and he who created it's about ah. And it appears a couple of times in this passage. And the point is that God is our creator. But we're going to see later. On how long was that he's our creator? Immediately it goes to r not their creator, not about whom the text is actually about, but our So already we get I mean that was just I don't know, it wasn't even timing it. I mean, that's less than a minute, that's less than sixty seconds, and we already have he's our creator, so we're already inserted. Does he does he immediately go back and he's going to really really focus on who the text is about or why is it what or how much more is it gonna become about us?

8:20 Let's just listen. That he's not only our creator in the sense that he he actually made us, although that's certainly true, but he's also our creator and that he is our savior. Notice, are us? Are us? Not them? Are us? Are? Do you immediately catch that? Look we're in Isaiah forty three. The text literally reads, but now thus saith the Lord that created THEE, who's the thee, Oh Jacob, and he hath formed the Oh Israel, Phil not fear not, for I have redeemed THEE. I have called THEE by name, Thou art mine. But instead of saying they or them?

9:04 Are they? And no, it's us? Are? How did how did we get inserted in so quickly? Now? Wait a minute, Wait a minute, I may be jumping the gun. He's gonna circle right back. He's gonna go right back to Israel right now, because I mean, that's what the text is about. Now I knew the reason. You can say, well, how did you know? Because I listened to enough in the minute he said Matthew Henry. The same thing happened earlier today, right the last broadcast he mentioned Matthew. As soon as someone mentions Matthew Henry, I know we're off to the r. I know Matthew Henry's the most well respected commentary. I was told my whole life Matthew Henry. Matthew Henry even in the independent fundamental Baptist world, which was bizarre. You need to get yourself a good Matthew Henry commentary. I'm like, have you ever read the commentary? It doesn't agree with anything you teach?

9:54 What are you talking about? Why? Okay, but I digress. But here we go. So as soon as I heard Matthew Henry, I knew exactly where this was going to go. I knew exactly that we were going to be inserted in like five point two seconds. I know, that's a little bit of hyperble. Okay, maybe it was twenty point three seconds. Someone out there has the time. You can tell me the time. But here we go. Are you ready? Let's see, let's see are we going to be Do you think is he going to add us more into the text? What do you think? What do you think? And he goes on to say that fear not. I have met Christians that were fearful. I mentioned this before. I know this lady, and every time I meet her, she tells me about the bad things that are going on in Concho and I'm sure that many of them are true, perhaps not all, but many of them but what When I meet her, I try to encourage her and tell her about the good things, about how God is working in people's hearts and lives, and how the spirit of God is overcoming the enemy. And yet she almost always seems to respond with but what about and what about that? Well, God's answer to her and to you is fear not. And the reason is.

11:07 The God's answer. The God's answer to her and to you is fear not. And he's taking that from Isaiah forty three. So he's taking Isaiah forty three is very explicit message to a very specific people. And now that's to you. How did we get inserted? So fat? Wait? Wait, maybe maybe maybe maybe maybe maybe hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, Maybe I'm maybe I'm jumping the gun here. Maybe let's let I know he's going to get to Israel. Let's see, let's see. We may want a time, how long it takes to get back to Israel. Hang on, Let's see what happens. For I have redeemed you, and the word redeem means to buy back. We talked about this in Sunday school, and that is that you buy back something. And we have been bought back by the precious Blood of Jesus he is.

12:01 Please note, all of this is we, us, you, It's not them or they. Immediately, the entirety of the text is being completely hijacked by us. How quickly do we hijack the text? Not how quickly I forget I was saying, how quickly do we insert ourselves? How quickly do we hijack the text? It's almost like, you know, welcome to first Baptist Church of whatever town. Welcome here and be prepared because in the next few minutes are hijacking is going to take place, and we're gonna hijack the Word of God. We're gonna take it over. We're gonna kick in the door to the cockpit. We're gonna take over, and we're gonna fly the Bible to wherever we want to land it because we're in charge. God is not in charge. I'm in charge. I'm flying the plane. I'm taking over. We just hijack it. We're hijackers. That's what we are. Christians are textual high We just come. We don't even need a gun. We just walk in take the Bible. I'm like, I'm sorry, God, please get out of the cockpit, Please please get out of the pilot's chair.

13:08 I'm taking over this plane and I'm gonna fly this passage to wherever we'll will work best for us, and we'll land in a nice tropical location and we'll spend the rest of our life, you know, hanging out on the beach. Right, Okay, maybe I'm really taking an illustration a little too far. We're hijackers. That's what we are. We're textual hijackers, right, That's what we are. We need we need to start wearing shirts that say textual hijackers. That's what we need. All Christians need shirts that say textual hijackers. Stop claiming about the stop yelling about the homosexuals, stop yelling about the LGBTQ, start looking at ourselves. You and I are textual hijackers. We hijack the Word of God and we do whatever we want with it. And then we pat ourselves on the back. Say, wait, we think the Bible is the final authority. It's not the final authority. You kicked God out of the pilot chair and you took over the plane.

13:59 Pay the price for our salvation. We deserve to die. We deserve to die, just as Jesus died on a cross, cruelly suffering for our sins, and he took our sins upon and he paid the price. I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name, and you are mine. Think about this for a minute. God claims you as his own, he said. I mean, he's just doubling that you you you. He's taking every phrase and making it about you. You you you you you you. It's like someone just needs to tell Israel, hey, you just you're not invited to this party. All right, we know that it seems to be addressed to you, But we stole the letter, we stole the book, we stole the prophecy, and it's all about us. It's all about uh, everything is you, you you you you us us us US. Let's just go a little bit further and then we'll do some actual work on Isaiah forty three. And I want to just try to demonstrate to you I'm not even criticizing the sermon, because you know what, this is what we do with everything, this is everything is about us. I mean, what happened with the entire story about the floating accent. It turned into about you and about me and about you and about me when it's about Jesus and the boat coming the storm, it's about you and me. When it's Jesus feeding the five thousand, it's about you and me. Literally, we make everything about us. I think we are textual high we are narcissistic textual hijackers. Maybe maybe that's that's the shirt

15:32 we should wear. What is a Christian equals a narcissistic textual hijacker. That's what a Christian is? Right, Okay, all right? Maybe maybe may's that a little too extreme, my too exaggerating it, or maybe I'm understating it. Okay, let's see, he's going to get back to Israel. Right at any second, he's going to get back to Israel. I mean, it took him only about fifteen seconds to get us there. But you know, he's going to get back to who the text is about. It's got to be any second. As you are mine. He looks at you and he says, you don't belong to the enemy, You don't belong to anything or anyone else. I love my country. I've told you this before. When I fly in from other countries in the plainlands, I sing God bless America, and everybody looks at me like I'm weird, and I don't care.

16:21 I'm very patriotic. I love my deeply love my country, but I don't value my country more than I value God. There are people that do that. Sometimes people value their parents or their children or other people. And you should love others and especially your own family. But we belong to God. We are his children. When we pray, we pray our Father. We're speaking to the God who has loved us and redeemed us and called us his children. Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God, and that is what we own are. He says, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. In the ancient world, they didn't have all these you know, one hundred and twelve elements. I don't know how many they've counted so far. They thought of They thought of the earth, they thought of fire, they thought of water.

17:19 And I think he's kind of reflecting on that when you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers they shall not overflow you. You know that there weren't many rivers in Israel. Even the Jordan River wasn't that great. But when there were floods, they could be very dangerous. And God is saying, just like during a flood, I will take care of you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor shall the flames scorch you. And of course we can't help. But think about Shadrack, Mishek and a bed in Ago, how they were thrown into the fire furnace where even the guards died from the fire of that furnace, and yet God preserved Shadrack and a bed and to go.

18:01 And I especially love their words where they say God will deliver us, and even if he doesn't know this, that he is God because they are trusting in him. And I for verse three, for I am the Lord your God. One time I was teaching in a Christian school and the kids were kind of obnoxious, and it wasn't one of our schools, and I said, God is my God. And one of the kids said he's not your God. He's everybody's God. And I was like, what you know. I mean, I didn't say he wasn't other people's God. I just said he's my God. And the kid was still not satisfied. She was like, oh, you shouldn't say God, God is your God. You know we should say that God is my God.

18:50 Okay, I think you get the idea, right, I mean, do I need to blabor the point. I mean, it took twenty seconds to get us in there, and there's no way getting us back out, all right, But so let's just make a step back here and just consider this, all right, just some basic information. Isaiah forty three is a chapter, obviously in the Book of Isaiah, where God speaks through the prophet Isaiah to comfort his people is Rayel all everybody to hear this again. Isaiah forty three is a chapter in the Book of Isaiah where God speaks through the prophet Isaiah to comfort his people Israel. This sermon is turning into trying to comfort us with the words given to comfort them. This chapter is a part of the longer Book of Comfort Isaiah forty through fifty five, which emphasizes God's sovereignty, faithfulness, and his promises to redeemed Israel, Israel after their exile and Babylon. Let me let me hear that again. It's God's faithfulness and his promises to Israel after their exile and Babylon. That's not you that's not me, that's not the church, that's them.

20:05 Isaiah forty three focuses on God's special relationship with Israel, his role as their redeemer, and his promises of deliverance for them. The chapter reassures Israel of God's love and his commitment to protect them from harm despite their past failures. God emphasizes that he alone is the creator and savior, and he contrasts his powers with the impotence of idols. The chapter ends with a call for Israel to recognize their sin and seek redemption. Now I can outline the entire chapter for you if you would like. I have an entire outline right here. I broke it all down. I can go through the key themes through the entire book.

20:46 But I can go through I can go through everything all right. I can go through an explanation here, I can go I've got so much written down here and copied and cut and paste from different sources. I have an all I've got a study Bible right here. I could read everything is going to tell you Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel. But we love to kick people out of the text and insert ourselves again. We're narcissistic textual hijackers. That's what Christianity is. See, there's an important point in the Bible, an important point in harmonutics. We've been talking about hermonutics, and that is when we interpret promises in the Bible.

21:32 Do we not have to in many cases distinguish who the promise is being made to and who it isn't being made to. Sometimes we have to draw a distinction between promises made to Israel and those meant for the Church or individual believers. Today, whenever we come to a promise in the Bible, we have to ask ourselves who is this promise for? Is it conditional? Is it unconditional? And is it a place it may not be applicable to us? From a textual perspective, let me let me state this. This is why I hate sermons. This is why I loathe the entire sermons structure, the way sermons are done. Sermons are not done to are not Even though it gives the appearance that you're studying the text, you're actually not studying the text because from a textual perspective, From a textual perspective. Let me state that again from a textual perspective, Isaiah forty three is clearly directed towards Israel.

22:33 The chapter mentions Israel by name. Do I need to read it again? But now thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob, and he hath formed thee O Israel. Fear not, for I have redeemed thee I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. Now if you want to say, but some of this can be applicable to us, well think, guess what first thing you would need to do is you would need to go through this section and explain what this meant to Israel within their historical content, within the historical context, and what it meant for their immediate future, and what it could mean for a future that's not yet occurred as of now. Right, that would be good. Then you could say, well, what could we learn from this well? And what ways can we in what ways do we relate to this? Does the Scripture say that God has formed us while the Bible says that He has created we are His creation? Okay, good, so we can draw, we can do some cross referencing, but you can't just come into the text and immediately insert ourselves. I'm not saying that we can't be found here, but it just immediately put us there and removed everyone else.

23:43 And there's some other problems here as well. So so first, so let me let me just try to go So from a textual perspective, Isaiah is clearly directed towards Israel, because the chapter even mentions them by name, It reminds them of their unique covenant relationship with God and references specific events in Israel's history, such as their deliverance from Egypt. Look at forty three, verse sixteen. Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters, which bring forth the chariot and horses, the army, and the power. They shall lie down together. They shall not rise. They are extinct. They are quenched as toe. Clearly it's a reference to Israel. Israel, Israel, Israel, the tech. I mean, how many clues do you need, ladies and gentlemen. Look, one of the things that blows me aways is so many times it's in the reform camp.

24:33 We care about exe Jesus, not is of Jesus. We care about really handling the Word of God, and next thing you know, you're in Ezekiel thirty six and we're there. All of a sudden, you're in Isaiah forty three, and we're there, and we just insert ourselves anywhere. These promises are rooted in God's covenant with Israel, particularly the promises of protection, restoration, and deliverance from Israel. Let me state that again, these promises given to Israel. Anytime we see promises given to Israel anytime, they are almost always rooted in God's covenant that he made with Israel, not with the spiritual Israel that everyone So many reformed people want to run to, to the nation of Israel, and guess what these include? Protection, restoration, and deliverance from exile, things that had direct historical fulfillment in Israel's return from Babylonian captivity.

25:32 To apply these promises directly to modern Christians or the Church without regard to the original audience and convenient and covenant contexts could indeed create inconsistency. The promises in Isaiah forty three are part of the Mosaic Covenant and other Old Testament covenants which God made specifically with the nation of Israel. Taking promises out of their covenantal context and applying them broadly could distort the meaning and purpose they had in the original sense. And that's saying it lightly. You're hijacking the text. You're destroying the meaning of the text. You are making it say something that it does not say. And what you're doing is you're handing things to people saying, basically, these promises belong to you, and no, you cannot do that.

26:20 The relationship between Old Testament Israel and the New Testament Church is a debated issue. Some theological frameworks, like dispensationalism, strongly emphasizes the distinction between Israel and the Church. According to this view, promises made to Israel specifically in the Old Testament should remain specifically for Israel and not to be transferred to the Church. This view highlights God's covenants with Israel are distinct and should not be conflated with promises to the Church and the New Testament. And obviously, I hold to that. Why do I hold to that? I hold to that because it's the only thing that makes any sense from an hermeneutical perspective. Everything else becomes subjective nonsense, where land doesn't mean land and Israel doesn't mean land or Israel, and this doesn't mean this, and this doesn't mean this. And I can take this promise and make it about us, but it's not a literal promise.

27:04 It's a spiritual promise. I can take this promise, but well, it's kind of a we got to spiritualize the promise because it's not a literal promise. And the next thing, you know, I basically destroy the entire Bible. Other systems obviously tries to say, oh, this is spiritual iserl it's not Israel, and well, and then we get into all the problems. Now, taking these promises out of their original context and applying them directly to the modern believer can lead to. This is what it can lead to. These are not my words. Disappointment, discouragement, and frustration. When you're standing there preaching to people and you're in an Old Testament text and use it basically tell people, hey, this is for you. You can make the walls of Jericho come down in your life, you can kill the giants in your life. You can do this. You can do this, you can do this. God's gonna protect you, God's gonna provide for you. And you're taking all of these promises, well, the next thing, you know, you're gonna lead to disappointment.

27:57 You're gonna lead the discouragement. You're gonna lead to disillusion, You're gonna lead to frustration. You're gonna lead to deconstruction. You may even lead people to defect and say, forget this nonsense. It doesn't work. For example, Isaiah forty three promises protection from physical harm. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. If a Christian takes this to mean that they will never face harm or suffer or suffering, they could feel disillusion when hardships inevitably come, leading to a sense of betrayal or confusion about God's faithfulness. Yeah, you think so many promises in the Old Testament, especially when Israel's involved, it's it's because God made very specific, detailed promises to Israel about I will do this, and I will do this, and I will do this, and I will do this, and I will do this. I can't go grab those and say, well, God will do these things for me. Either I have to see God will do these things for me literally, which we know that's not the case, or we have to then take the literal promises made to a literal nation, so spiritualize them.

29:02 So then now they're just spiritual promises that don't really mean that God will actually do that in a practical way. He only will do that in a spiritual way. And then well then you just kind of then you just kind of destroy everything. Well, the promises in Isaiah forty three were specifically made to Israel. Principles about God's character can be relevant. We see God's love for his people, we see God as a redeemer. A responsible hermoneutic would recognize the specific audience Israel and the historical context, which is exile and restoration, while allowing the spiritual lessons lessons are possibly reflections to be pulled from it, or to do some cross referencing, to go, okay, now, how does this fit to Israel? How could it possibly fit to us in any specific way? What are the parallels? But you've got to make sure you are careful with that. Now, just to show you how how ridiculous this is, I had to look this up. I had to look this up because I was like, I could stait here and start counting, but just we just listened to a sermon with within twenty two seconds. I'm just guessing we were inserted into the text, and then we kept listening and it was us us us you us us you, never them, never them, never their context. They were just completed. Now I'm not seeing it. At some point at the sermon, he may not go back to them, but immediately it's us us us us us. So I had to look it up. The names Israel and Judah are mentioned numerous

30:35 times in the Book of Isaiah. I'm like, well, that's not that's not very helpful, all right, so I need more. Well, Israel. The term Israel specifically Israel, seems to appear about ninety seven times in the Book of Isaiah nine seven ninety seven times. But for some weird reason, that's not a hermeneutical clue to anybody, all right. This reflects god Uds address to the nation, the Northern Kingdom, and the nation as a whole, including the twelve tribes ninety seven times. The term Judah appears twenty six times in the Book of Isaiah. Judah refers specifically to the Southern Kingdom, which included Jerusalem and the tribe of Judah, to whom many of Isaiah's prophecies are directed. These references emphasize the distinct, distinct but intertwined role of Israel and Judah and Isaiah's prophecy with their unique circumstances regarding judgment. Excellent restoration. Right, So just think about this, that's direct references where Israel and Judah. Look at all the times, like even in Isaiah forty three, right, I created the the the is referring to Israel. If we take all the these and all the other references where it's clearly referencing Israel, ladies and gentlemen, it probably well over two hundred times, maybe even over three hundred times. It would be ridiculous to go into this book and say, hey, we're going to insert ourselves. We're gonna hijack the plane. We're textual hijackers.

32:05 We're narcissistic. Why are we narcissistic because we see us in everything? We're textual hijackers because we take the text God's word and we hijack it and make it about us. So I was curious, so I asked Ai question. Right, I asked Ai question. I said, so with that many references going to UH, with that many references to in Isaiah forty three are going up to Isaiah forty three, if you and a sermon was then to almost immediately insert us into the lesson, What what do you think about this? Like? What? What? What? What? How should we understand? Like if we we see all of these references leading up to Isaiah forty three, and then in Isaiah forty three, we're preaching a sermon and we insert us into the text, what what how should we approach this?

32:53 Well? Isaiah said this based on the textual evidence and the numerous references to Isaia, to Israel, and Judah throughout the Book of Isaiah, including Isaiah forty three, it would be quite problematic and even hermeneutically irresponsible to immediately insert the modern church or individual Christians into the passage without first acknowledging its clear context and primary audience. AI is like, that would be hermeneutically irresponsible. I'm like, but Ai, you don't know, you don't know us, you can't speak for you're not human. We know more than you know. This is where humans need to get out of the hermonutics business, because we we're trash at it, we're garbage, we are no good at it. But even AI's like, wait a minute, you can't just insert yourself here. It doesn't work. I love it. It's hermeneutically irresponsible. No, it's more than hermeneutically irresponsible.

33:50 It's a crime. It's a hijacking. So then Ai gave me some points to supports. It gave me its assessment. Now it gives me points to support it. Number one frequent mention of Israel and Judah. Of Israel and Judah. The fact that Israel and Judah are mentioned nearly one hundred times collectively throughout Isaiah, including the context of Isaiah forty three, underscores the original audience was people was the people of Israel, specifically their historical setting. The promises in Isaiah forty three directly rate to God's directly relate to God's covenant relationship with Israel, his plan to redeem them from exile, and his assurance of protection and restoration. So it's specifically for them. Can we see some parallels? Now, God is my creator? Yes, he is He is my creator?

34:44 Right do we believe that? Right? Okay? So right? Do we do believe? He has redeemed us? We are the redeemed. I have called thee by name, and thou art mine do we believe we belong to him? Yes? Do we believe we are the called? Yes? I can find some cross references, but clearly, first and foremost, this is about Israel. This is about Israel, Israel, Israel Israel. But if I find parallels, now here's the problem. Here's the danger. I should say. I can find parallels that I'm created, that I'm redeemed, and i am called. But I can't then insert myself into a text and then take those promises and make them about me unless those promises are also promised to me. Then I could draw the parallel. But the text over one hundred times, we know what it's about. So that's number one. The frequent mention of Israel and Judah should make you go, wait a minute, I can't just insert myself here. Number two the covenantal context. I stress this constantly. Isaiah forty three is steeped in Covenant theology relating to God's promises to Abraham, Moses, and David. These are specific promises tied to the identity and destiny of Israel as God's chosen people. To bypass this context and directly apply these promises to the Church would ignore the Covenant framework in which the text and prophecy was given. Thank you, Ah, I've been saying that

36:14 for like fifty years and nobody listens. That Covenant context helps you understand. Wait, I can't just take that promise. I can't just pray for these things because these were specifically promised for Israel. How about so not only do we have the frequent mention of Israel and Judah number two, we have the covenantal context number three, we have the historical setting. Isaiah forty three speaks directly to the exile, to the exile and post exile experience of Israel. It promises restoration and deliverance from Babylonian captivity. The chapter's focus is on literal, historical deliverance for the nation of Israel. Applying these promises to Christians today without considering this context could lead to thiological confusion and done dun dunde miss application.

37:05 Now what are the implications of this incorrect application? Well, it could lead to disappointment and discouragement. By immediately inserting ourselves or the Church into the passage, people could develop expectations that these specific promises lack protection from harm or or guaranteed deliverance. Are applicable in the same way. When these expectations are not met, it can lead to spiritual disillusionment or a misunderstanding of God's ways. Number Two, it would ignore Israel's unique role. Taking promises made explicitly to Israel implying them directly to Christians diminishes the unique relationship God has with Israel and overlooks the specific historical and prophetic role Israel plays in God's redemptive plan. The Church does not replace Israel, and these promises should be understood in light of God's faithfulness to his covenant people. Now I could read more, I could get in more here, but let's just read the text and I'll show you what I'm referring to. But now, thus, Saith, Now I do understand that when you get into these promises in these chapters in Isaiah, we do get into there are the major to me, the major hermoneutical question would be, well, wait a minute, now, when does this specifically apply to them coming out of Babylonian captivity? And when does this apply to some kind of restoration or deliverance that yet hasn't occurred. Now that is a question where we could have some debate, But let's just start. But now, thus

38:35 saith the Lord that created the Oh Jacob and Hath formed the o Israel. Clearly, the point here of creation is not about creation of all things. It's not about creating you and me. The text is about He created them, He formed them Israel. God sees them as his own special creation. He formed them, it says, and he that formed the Oh Israi l Israel, he formed them. Fear not. Who's told to fear not Israel. It's not about me not fearing not. This is about Israel, not fearing not. Why I have redeemed Thee. He redeemed them. He purchased in a sense, them back. He bought them. He brought them where out of Egyptian bondage. I have called thee by name, Thou art mine. So what he wants Israel to do here is based off their current situation. He wants them to remember their special relationship they have with him, his special relationship he has with them in spite of their circumstances. He wants them to see these very important realities.

39:49 There are spiritual realities which their current situation would seem to call into question. Now there's an application for us now we can see what has God said about you an I. Now those things God has said about you and I are true, even when our circumstances seem to indicate otherwise. Now there's application. But the key here is his special relationship to them. When thou passest through the when thou, when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee and through the rivers. They shall not overflow thee. When thou walk us through the fire, they shall Thou shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Now we could get into it. Now this is a good hermoneutical uh question, have wait, is he promising just he's using figurative language to promise literal protection for them. Can't take it for us. We can't just immediately say, oh, I don't have to worry about this, and now God's going to protect me. Well, yeah, it does.

40:50 We don't have that guarantee, do we. And if you're going to try to apply that guarantee with then we'd have to get into all the discussions about it. For I the Lord, thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior, who Savior, speaking of Israel, I gave Egypt for thy ransom Ethantopia, Ethiopia, and Siba for THEE. So he's reminding them of all the things he has done for them. Since thou wast precious in my sight. Who is precious in his sight? Israel? Thou hast been honorable, and I have loved THEE. Therefore will I give men for THEE and people for thy life. Fear not, for I am with THEE. I will bring thy seed from the west, and gather them from the east, and gather them from the west. I will say to the north give up, and to the south keep not back. Bring my sons from Afar, my daughters, from the ends of the earth. Everyone that is called by my name. I have created him for my glory. I have formed him. Yea, I have made him. This is about the regathering and the bringing back of Israel. Now we could ask ourselves, did this only apply to coming out of the Babylonian captivity or does this apply to a day where all of Israel will be regathered and get the land. Now, those are hermoneutical issues that you really need to get into when you still when you deal with the text.

42:04 But you can't get into that if you just throw them out and insert ourselves. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes and the death that have ears. Let all nations be gathered together, and let the people be a symbol. Who among them can declare this and show us former things. Let them bring forth their witnesses that they may be justified, or let them hear and say it is truth. You are my witnesses, saith the Lord and my servants whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am before I am He. Before me, there is no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I even I am the Lord, and beside me there is no savior. I have declared and have saved, and I have showed when there was no when there was no strange God among you.

42:49 Therefore you are my witnesses. Thus saith the Lord that I am God. Yay before the day, I am He. And there is none that can deliver. Out of my hand I will work and who shall let it? Basically, call everyone, Let everyone witness this, Let everyone see this. I am God. Nothing else can do what I can do. Nothing else can save you. Stop looking to other gods, stop looking to idols. I am I'm the answer and it's primarily first and foremost to Israel, then we could see how it could be possibly applicable to us. I know I kind of read that quickly, but you get the basic idea. Verse fourteen, Thus say the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. How many different times can this text be telling you who it's about? For your sake, I have sent to Babylon and have brought down all their nobles and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

43:40 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Thus says the Lord, who maketh the way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters, which bringeth forth the chariot and the horse. You get the idea, I'm the one taking care of all of this. I'm doing this. He's clearly connecting it to a historical situation. Now, you may want to find spiritual parallels, you may want to find us in it, but you've got to deal with it first with them. You can't insert us twenty three seconds into it. You have to go through the text and go, Okay, what's going on here? Like if we were to break if we were to break the chapter down and any kind of basic overview. We have God's assurance of protection and love Isaiah forty three one through seven. But this is assurance of protection of love to Israel. We have God's unique role as savior. This is Isaiah forty three eight through thirteen. But then again, this is about Israel. We have God's promise of deliverance and restoration Isaiah forty three, fourteen through twenty one. We have God's challenge and Israel sin Isaiah forty three, twenty two through twenty eight. Now you can find some parallels.

44:57 Some of those parallels you can't find, right. I mean, when he starts talking about Babylon and the Chaldeans, and now unless you make the Babylon not Babylon, the Kaladeans not the unless you just start like making no, it's about them. And even if you insert yourself, I cannot state it again. You can't just immediately go to those promises and make them about us. That's not Bible study, that's not harmoneutics, that's not that's just that's preaching. Now I'm just gonna hit play just to see if by chance he circles back to Israel here. Well, I mean, he never really started with Israel. Let's see if he inserts them here, and just the next minute or two.

45:46 He cares about me, and I know that because Jesus has died for me, the Holy One of Israel, your savior. And here we see the contrast between the transcendent and the imminent God. Transcendent means that which is overall and imminent is the things that touches us. But God is holy, He's wholly separate from us, and yet he is our savior. He cares about us, and he proves that because he says, I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopian Siba in your place. He's willing to give up all the nations to save us, since you were precious.

46:27 He's willing to give up all the nations to save us. This is this total hijacking. You're literally listening to a textual hijacking in real time, and everyone sitting in that church things it's great. And a book where the specific people he's speaking to are mentioned over one hundred times. That doesn't matter. The old for you to fight against all the textual clues here seems it seems insurmountable, like how could I But because the we just insert ourselves.

47:15 We're textual hijackers. You want to hear just a couple more, just a little bit more. In my sight. Now, of course it's a Hebrew word. We could talk about that, but just meditate about what he just said in English. You are precious in my sight. You know, some people have something that's precious to them. Avocado. Everybody here who likes avocado, raise your hand. Everybody here who hates avocado, raise your hand. So we have some people who think of avocado as precious and others who are like, yeah, I could do without, you know, you know, but that's just food. And yet people get all excited about about New York cheesecake or Philly cheese steaks or avocado.

48:05 And God looks at us, and he looks at us, and he says that we are precious in his sight. Do you get the idea The name of the sermon is we are precious in his sight, not that Israel is precious in his sight. That we we come to a text where God is telling someone else. It's like you hijacking a love letter and then responding back to the person who wrote it and go, oh, thank you, I love the things you said. About me, and the author is like, what are you talking about? I wasn't talking about you. Oh you said that I was precious, and you said that you loved me, and you said that you will protect me. Oh what are you talking about?

48:51 I was writing it to my girlfriend or this. No, no, no no. We just insert ourselves. We just assert ourselves. That's what we do. We open the Bible like me. We open the Bible me, We open the me. Us. We them? Who cares about them? They're old news. God was writing about me because I'm a narcissistic textual hijacker. That is what Christianity is, narcissistic textual hijackers. We fit in really well, don't we. We do because we like everything to be about us. Thanks for listening, God bless