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4 - God of the Nations (Isaiah 9-23) |
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Read Isaiah 9-23 at Biblegateway.org
Interpreting the PassageBeginning with Chapter 9 through at least chapter 23 runs a significant section of texts that would have offended not only the theological sensibilities of the Ancient Near East in which Isaiah lived, but the diplomatic sensibilities of both his time and perhaps any other, including ours. Isaiah’s God asserts the authority to judge not only the nation with which God lives in a covenant relationship, but her neighbors as well. Isaiah’s God claims the authority to judge all the peoples of the world. This radical, offensive claim is asserted so thoroughly it cannot be avoided, and it carries important implications for all of us (and all who are not us.)
One of the bedrock beliefs of the Ancient Near East (ANE) was the localization of deities. There were many gods, and each god ruled over a land or nation. These gods might be in competition with each other for dominance, so that Assyria’s god, for example, leads them in conquest to enforce his dominance over other gods. In conquering, Assyria demonstrates the superiority of their god but not the absence of other gods. This explains several things we’re already aware of, such as why the Canaanite gods like the Baals were so tempting (they had been supposedly ruling that particular land for a long time!) or why the exile caused such a crisis of faith for Israel.
Isaiah upends this whole system of polytheism by asserting that there is in fact one God who reigns over the entire world. The Lord, the God of Israel, is the only true and living God. By the Lord’s will and power do all the nations rise and fall, serving sometimes unknowingly as God’s instruments. This provides alternative explantations for phenomenon like Assyrian victory over Israel (The Lord was using Assyria to punish Israel) which could have been interpreted as demonstrating the superior power of the Assyrian god.
Isaiah’s God simply refuses to allow any role for any other god. Jerusalem, Samaria, and Israel answer to the Lord alone, and this is expected. But, Isaiah proclaims, so do Assyria, the Philistines, Moab, Damascus, Cush, Egypt, Babylon, Edom, Arabia, and Tyre. Everyone answers to one God, the Lord.
The Offensive Implications for Israel’s NeighborsBy claiming the right to judge the nations, God violates all of their notions of sovereignty and independence. People who assumed that they were under the rule of gods who cared little for their ethical values (or who valued power supremely) find themselves brought under the umbrella of a king who demands justice and righteousness for all. Even their victories are not their own, as Israel claims that the Lord will use them for divine purposes and then turn around and punish them as well. There is no room for arrogance regarding one’s victories, and might certainly does not make right. Those nations who assumed that having the power to oppress their neighbors gave them the right to do so come under the judgement of a God who fights for the oppressed and does not vindicate those who are powerful in their own eyes.
This teaching also offends the theological sensibilities of Israel’s neighbors. How dare Israel claim that the gods of their neighbors are worthless? Do they not have respect and tolerance for the religious views of others? What gives Isaiah the right to stick his nose in the religious beliefs of Egypt? Why does he feel like it’s okay to critique the moral code of Tyre or Damascus? Why not leave well-enough alone? Why stir the pot by issuing accusations and critiquing the beliefs of all of your neighbors?
The implications of these passages carries severe offense for Israel’s neighbors.
You claim your God will judge us?
What gives Isaiah the right? He is simply telling the truth.
The Offensive Implications for IsraelWe must realize though that there is another set of implications in these passages that is just as offensive for the isaiah’s own people. These passages imply that the God who they lived in covenant with as not only their God, but a God who ruled over the Nations. It is this theology that leads to a situation like that in Jonah, where God issues a prophecy against Nineveh, but is also willing to extend forgiveness and grace to that city, Israel’s enemy. By declaring that One God will judge the nations, Isaiah is setting up the theology that one God cares for all the nations. This argument is born out by later sections of Isaiah, where it becomes clear that God’s plan for the redemption of Israel is not only for Israel’s sake, but also for the sake of all the nations.
The offense for Israel then is the realization that while Israel lives in a special relationship with God, God possesses the earth. Israel does not possess God. This claim strikes against the temptation to exclusivity that Israel faced, and demands that they move beyond a preoccupation with themselves.
Teaching the LessonTeaching these challenging texts and their implications should begin with an understanding of why these texts would have been so striking to the original readers. Then we can move from their shock and the disorientation that these texts would bring them to how they might challenge our own assumptions and patterns of thought and behavior. I would begin with a few verses from different places in this block of text where Isaiah speaks to specific nations by name. That way the class can begin to get a picture of the scope of the claims being made here.
Regarding the first implication, it naturally flows into a discussion of whether or not we believe and act on the reality that God is going to bring judgment on the world. God will judge the entire world, every last human. HIs dominion includes every person we encounter. In what ways can that reality affect our thinking and behavior? How does it affect our:
- Evangelistic attitude?
- Giving behavior?
- Moral Lives?
If we can affirm that their are implications for these areas, then what has prevented us from reacting in these ways in the past? While this may have been groundbreaking material for Isaiah’s time, these are concepts that we are generally aware of. What barriers exist to acting on the implications?
Regarding the second idea, do you ever get the sense that the church forgets that its mission is not for itself, but for the sake of God’s work in the world? As a people, how can we become more focused on how we affect the community around us? How can we affect our world?
Finally, there is one last angle for discussion with this theme, and that is the reality that for most of us, we would have been the outsiders in Isaiah. We non-Jews would have necessarily been the outsiders. How does that change the way we read these texts?
Let’s celebrate that in Christ Jesus, God has brought those who were once outsiders into the community of his people!
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