Everyone has an identity. Our name, date of birth, nationality and address are all listed on our identity cards. Identity is important because it helps others recognise who we are. However, identity merely describes who we are according to the data. It never fully explains how we live. There is a gap between the identity listed on a card and the character shaped by our daily life choices.

This is the message that resonates in Isaiah 56. Following the exile, the people of Israel were rebuilding their identity as God’s people. In such a situation, the boundary between ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ became crucial. Yet the Lord presented a surprise. Foreigners who held fast to His covenant and the “castrated”—or groups previously regarded as having no full place within the Israelite community—were invited to take their place among God’s people (vv. 3–8). For the Lord, faithfulness to Him is more important than a person’s background or status.

Conversely, the Lord’s rebuke is directed at the leaders of the people. They are described as blind watchmen, mute dogs, and shepherds lacking understanding (vv. 9–12). By their very identity, they are leaders of God’s people, yet their lives do not reflect the calling entrusted to them. This contrast is further emphasised in Isaiah 57:1–5, where the righteous are no longer heeded, whilst society drifts ever further from faithfulness to the Lord. Through this contrasting imagery, Isaiah reminds us that, in God’s sight, identity is not a privilege, but a calling to live in faithfulness. What the Lord looks at is not, first and foremost, a person’s background, position, or even religious identity, but a heart that clings to Him and a life that reflects His will.

Dear Friends of the Bible, the world often judges people by their titles, professions, achievements, or the groups to which they belong. Yet God looks deeper than all of that. Therefore, the most important question is not “Who am I?“”, but “Does my life truly reflect my identity as belonging to God?” May every choice, word and action of ours bear witness that our identity as God’s people is not merely a title we bear, but a life we live out every day.