Objective:
In this article, we will address the real context in which the text was cited and how, nowadays, we, as Christians, should and can apply it.
Highlights Regarding Context:
Isaiah 1:2-4 – “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord speaks: I have reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Woe to the sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.”
Isaiah 1:7 – “Your land lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence aliens devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.”
Isaiah 1:16-20 – “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
Isaiah 1:19 – “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”
Isaiah 1:20 – “But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Exposition and Understanding of Context:
To be more objective and facilitate understanding, I separated it into 5 parts:
Isaiah 1:2-4 - Cause that drew God's wrath:
In this passage, it is possible to perceive how disgusted and disappointed God is with His people, those whom He Himself created, gave life to, sustained, and delivered from all evils. Despite having done only good, that people were being ungrateful and indifferent. The behavior of animals in relation to their owners is brought to memory.
Here, God is saying that His people behaved worse than animals, due to their conduct, the way they ignored Him and did not follow His instructions, disobeying His laws. On the contrary, they were sinking deeper and deeper into depravity and sin.
Isaiah 1:7 - Punishment for sin in an extreme way:
Here, we can observe a classic method of God when the people show themselves ungrateful and rebellious. God's most common way of acting was to cause the people to be unable to feed themselves, as happened in the times of the Midianites and Amalekites, who took away the harvests of the people of Israel, who, at that moment, did not have fidelity to God (as recorded in Judges 6). The interesting thing is that, even though they had planted, the people did not enjoy their own harvests. That is, at harvest time, the enemy would come and take everything they had planted, before their eyes.
Although many do not believe, the same thing happens today when God wants to call His people's attention so they repent and are faithful to Him. We can be sure that it is madness to live in disobedience, even when making great effort. God's word tells us this in Psalms.
Psalm 127:1-2 – “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain; unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”
In short, this text from Psalms teaches us that God makes life easier for His faithful.
Isaiah 1:16-20 - Call for reconciliation:
Let's pay attention to this point and ask ourselves a question: Would God take pleasure in keeping us under punishment, even if it is due to our mistakes, when there is possibility of repentance and change of attitude? The answer is certainly no. That is why the Lord gives the solution and calls His people to repentance, purification, and willingness to listen to Him. He shows Himself willing to hear our complaint, our reasoning, and to free us from all guilt, if we repent and change our attitude, enabling us to prosper again in His presence.
Isaiah 1:19 – Agreement and promise of reward for faithfulness:
God's statement "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land" is nothing other than a promise of reward in this life and in this land for those who are faithful. It is worth noting that this promise refers to prosperity in the land, reward for faithfulness while we are here. This goes against the idea of many Christians who judge themselves to be overly spiritual and self-denying, with no interest in earthly matters.
It is also important to remember that every reward agreement requires a counterpart. That is why it was said: "If you are willing and obedient." The counterpart is not only to be willing, but also to listen, that is, to give attention to God's Word, to truly believe in it and to live according to His doctrines, walking in holiness to please Him in our daily lives.
Isaiah 1:20 – Consequence of persistence in error:
As there was a promise of reward to those who would listen and obey the Lord's voice, so too was the sentence fixed for the disobedient. Given this, it is always good for us to reflect: what do I want to receive from the Lord, the reward or the sentence? Our attitudes will speak for themselves.
Why doesn't this happen in everyone's life?
Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'”
Understanding the reason for the stagnation of many:
As mentioned above, many preach against God's goodness, even involuntarily, because they cannot accept seeing others prosper, while they themselves remain stagnant. What we can say about this is: Did they believe the good news that speaks on the subject to enjoy God's power in their lives? If they preach against the truth, it is because they did not believe, and God's Word continues to be true, regardless of time. As it is written in Romans, the power of the gospel is for salvation of whoever believes. Therefore, whoever does not believe will continue to perish in their world of ignorance.
Deepening into the original context:
In the texts already addressed from Isaiah, it is evident that the people were not having the best of God in this land due to disobedience (lack of sincere relationship with God), as a consequence their plantings were being taken away by strangers (Isaiah 1:7). That is why the Lord calls them to a conversation in Isaiah 1:18 and promises in Isaiah 1:19 that, if they would and listen to His Word, they would eat the best of this land, a verse also translated in some versions as "eat the best of this land."
We cannot depart from the original context when speaking on this subject. We need to make it clear that, when it was said "you shall eat," the reference is to physical food, such as rice, beans, meat, etc. That is, things of this earth. However, it was highlighted that, to enjoy this promise, it was necessary to give ear to the Lord with all your heart, truly believing in His Word, in such a way that this would reflect in true attitudes, and this is also the gospel, the good news. If we believe, as it is in Romans 1:16, we will see God's power in our lives here on earth, without losing the assurance that, in the future, we will have eternal life.
We know that the concept of "good of this land" can be treated in a relative way, as many like porridge, for example, but it is still food of this earth. But if this does not happen in our lives, we should not try to distort the meaning of Scripture to make ourselves feel at peace with our conscience or try to console someone when we do not enjoy this wonderful promise.
Can we ignore this so important promise?
We know the existence of many who say they don't care about earthly matters, and that what matters more is seeking God's Kingdom. However, the greatest objective is to be in agreement with God's Word, for it is also part of God's Kingdom to enjoy what He offers for His children, in addition to living in His total dependence. That is why we need to listen carefully to His words, guidance, and let them truly influence our attitudes.
The preachers of God's Word can neither add nor diminish. If God spoke, He is faithful to fulfill. Whoever wants to enjoy His promises must align their life with Scripture and reach God's heart.
Our focus is not this life, but we can and should count on God while we are here.
The Christian's focus should be Christ. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." What has already come from God's mouth is power in the life of those who believe.
Paul already said: 1 Corinthians 15:19 – “If in this life we have hoped in Christ only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” In this way, we can hope in Christ in this life, and even more so desire to live with Him eternally, for He is for this life and also for eternity. We must, with all certainty, prioritize eternity.
God does not take pleasure in keeping us in deprivation. What is most evident are people crying for being in deprivation. One hardly hears of someone sad for not having received a gift like vision, strange tongue, prophecy, etc. However, there are countless people who go without, even those who call themselves Christians.
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May God greatly bless your life.