I want to share a few more skills that I have learned before starting into the first two chapters of Isaiah. These new skills add onto the skills previously discussed, so now may be a good time to review them:
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Know where to go for information on Jewish history, tradition, geography, politics, and major events. |
Unlocking scriptural interpretation from Isaiah's writings requires an intimate knowledge of the history, tradition, geography, and politics of God's people. This can be a difficult and overwhelming task. However, I have found that I do not have to be an expert in Jewish culture but rather it is a matter of knowing where to go for the information. This is a companion skill to
Use Other Sources and adds some additional sources that I use for difficult scriptures like Isaiah. I rely on these resources whenever I run into names, places and events that are not familiar.
Timeline - the
Bible Chronology gives a great rundown of major events and their timing including external political events and people. The
Old Testament seminary bookmark gives a great visual representation of Israel in the Old Testament times including approximate timeline, general locations, lists of people (judges, kings and prophets) and external conquering empires.
Geography -
Bible Maps is very useful for finding areas, cities, mountains, and routes that are referenced in the Bible. Modern day maps such as Google maps can be used to locate places; however, keep in mind that places quite often changed names or disappeared over time so additional research may need to be done. Also, the
Bible Dictionary can be useful for finding the historical significance of geographical locations.
Political - the political story can be found by following the judge or king of the time. The
Bible Dictionary is a good source for getting summary information about these individuals. Additonally, I find searching for the individual in the
Topical Guide or doing a word search in the electronic version of the scriptures to be extremely useful for figuring out what is going on during their time period and what kind of person they were. Following the prophet of the time can also give clues to what major events are going on. Understanding external politics of the time is extremely important to getting the big picture. Much of this kind of information is not only available through scriptural sources but also through secular learning sources. For example, I found a
1982 Ensign article that gives a quick rundown of the major powers during the Old Testament times.
Tradition - the children of Israel have a rich tradition built upon covenant keeping and faith in God. To understand that tradition, it is important to understand where it came from. I have found that one of the best ways to understand Jewish tradition is to look at the major events within its history. Now is good time to brush up on Old Testament stories. These will provide the background information that tradition is built on. These events show God's love for His children and if read in a symbolic manner will show a pattern for this life and its purpose. In my opinion, the greatest of these stories, the most influential on tradition, and most referenced is the Exodus. Therefore, I think it is critical to study and be familiar with this event and the symbolism behind it. Another major source of tradition also comes from this event—the law of Moses. Unfortunately, this is a little harder to grasp because of the complexity and monotony of the law. This is where other sources come into play such as Keil and Delitzsch or the Old Testament institute manuals which do have Jewish law and tradition expertise.
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