“And I will tell “not My nation”: ‘you are My nation’, and they will proclaim: ‘You are our God’”
Claim: “Not My nation” alludes to faithful Christians, believers in “Christ,” who replaced the Jewish People as God’s Chosen Nation.
Response: This is perhaps the greatest example of taking out-of-context by missionaries. I will admit that this is rarely brought by advanced missionaries, but it is important to address due to the nature of the proof-text. The verse alone, isolated from the context, would in fact seem as strong support for a key Christian doctrine. But the context says a very difference story.
If we are to read from the beginning of the chapter, we would realize that the very opposite is true! We’ll read how it’s regarding the Jews that it is said “not My nation,” for in exile we are not (openly) God’s nation for His blessings to bestow us, but under constant threat and God conceals his face from us (Deuteronomy 31:17-18). This is not just my belief but the message of the Prophet—if read entirely from beginning to end of the relative context.
The chapter ends off that eventually, God will pity His “widow” (the Jewish People whom abandoned God and transgressed) and return her from the “desert” (exile), and He will say upon those of who it was once said “you are not My nation” (the Jews in exile) that “you are My nation” (at the redemption).
In addition—as if needed—it is clear that this prophecy did not yet occur, for only a few verses preceding it’s written that “on that day… sword and war shall cease from the land” which demonstrates quite-clearly that this is a Messianic prophecy yet to happen in the future.
This is a splendid example to bring out the falsehood of Christianity! Paul himself brings this as support of his view.[i] Was the “carrier of God’s Word” so ignorant or was he just fooling us?[1]
[1] Many Christians will explain that Paul didn’t intend for his interpretation to be taken literally but had a metaphoric interpretation in mind. Even if granted, the problem begins when this is raised by some missionaries as Scriptural evidence for their claim. But as a matter of fact, it seems quite strange that Paul knew the context of the verse yet still decided to use it metaphorically. The context literally says the very opposite of the message he wishes to metaphorically derive.
[i] Romans 9:24-26.
