The Bible says that those who follow Christ can expect to be misunderstood, criticized, ridiculed and persecuted. Our dedication to God does not make sense to those who don’t know Him, and those who live a holy life are an irritation and conviction to those who would rather not.
According to Jesus, this kind of antagonism is an honor. It says that we are living as He did, and we share the opposition He faced. He even said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).
However, there is another type of response to Christians that is often called persecution, but it is not for righteousness’ sake. Rather it happens when Christians act foolishly, call their behavior ‘obedience to God’ and wind up being mocked.
As a writer and editor, I’ve experienced Christians who submit material that they say is “inspired by God” and cannot be altered in any way, yet the manuscript is full of spelling mistakes. Even if God gave them the idea and motivated their words, He is not known for errors, never mind easily corrected typos and grammar mistakes.
Another one is the immoral behavior of some Christian leaders. Although they rarely attribute their sinfulness to ‘obedience’, they dare not claim they are being persecuted when the press makes their story a headline. Godly people are not supposed to do such things, and any reaction to their folly is not about opposition to Christ but opposition to their sin.
This morning I watched a news item about a group of Christians who have taken part of a verse from Isaiah and applied it to their part of United States. The section they quote is 35:8, “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. . . .”
While reading this verse, a pastor noted that it is verse 35 and that interstate highway 35 passes through their town. Immediately she decided that this verse was about their highway and started a campaign. Organized prayer groups meet along that highway and pray for those who travel it.
Praying for travelers is a good idea, even praying alongside a highway might be a good idea, but basing action on a poor exegesis of Scripture is pure foolishness. It reminded me of the man who opened his Bible every day for “instruction from God” and simply pointed his finger to the page, intending to follow the verse he touched. One day his finger landed on, “Judas went out and hung himself.” He thought that couldn’t be what God wanted, so he tried again. The next hit told him, “Go thou and do likewise.”
Pulling Scripture out of context is probable the biggest error made while attempting to interpret the Bible. Cults have been formed, churches split, families ruined, lives led astray from doing this, even in sincerity.
Another error is taking something written several hundred years ago and interpreting it as if God wrote it about twenty-first century America. While we need to apply its principles, and know that all of Scripture was written for our instruction, we must also remember that the Bible had an initial readership. To properly interpret and apply it, a person needs to figure out what God intended for those who first read it before we can do either.
A third way Scripture gets twisted is trying to apply it without first figuring out what it actually says. The words, the order of the words, their meaning in the original language, all play a part in interpretation. For instance, the word ‘highway’ in Hebrew is simply “a main direct road” while in North America, this word designates a specific kind of road, certainly not one that people travel by walking.
Had these rules been followed, the highway prayer group might have read the rest of that verse. It says that “the unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray.”
The contest shows that this passage is about those redeemed from sin and who walk in holiness, returning to Zion (the city of God) with joy and singing. This road is first a metaphor for living a Holy life and walking with God.
Another fact that makes the interstate highway 35 interpretation downright foolish is that the chapter and verse designations were not in the original Scripture text. While who did it is not clear, it is known that they were not there before 1200 AD. Thinking God had this highway in mind based on the number of that verse is poor scholarship.
They could have thought that God was using Scripture out of context to remind them of their duty and motivate them to get at it. They might claim that He was putting praying for travelers on their hearts, but they were not following through, hence He allowed this exegesis, but that is shaky reasoning. God constantly warns Bible readers to be careful that Scripture is not added to or twisted. ‘Good sermon, wrong text’ is not an excuse for shoddy workmanship.
What do others think while watching these zealous people pray for a highway and its travelers? That’s hard to say, but the announcer pulled out a Bible and said that if they are going to use this verse, they should also read Isaiah 40:3. He then read it: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”
The inference was so strong in my mind that I can’t even remember if the announcer said it or not, but this verse is repeated in the New Testament in reference to the ministry of John the Baptist. He was the voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the people for the coming of Jesus Christ. John told them to get their lives straightened out by repenting of their sins in anticipation of the Savior who would change their lives.
These verses in Isaiah are more about how to get on and walk that way of Holiness that can be found only through faith in Jesus Christ. Isaiah 35:8 or 40:3 say nothing about automobiles, big trucks and motorcycles. They speak about us “fools” who follow Jesus and should not be led astray.
My take on this whole thing is that we should not invite mockery by allowing incorrect interpretations to put us on the morning news.
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