For quite some time, it has been a common place understanding that the Good News is for all people. Even when we have been unsure about the best or most appropriate ways to share it, we generally have known it is a good thing to share.
This was not so much the case in Isaiah’s day. Israel was caught in a sense of struggle for survival that meant surrounding peoples were viewed as rivals. The existence of a powerful neighbouring nation was perceived not as a blessing but as a threat! And not for no reason - history tells the story of the threat neighbouring nations had posed to Israel. So it is all the more remarkable that Isaiah comes to understand that the calling of the people of God
is to become a blessing to the nations.
