If you have ever taken any kind of a writing class, you know that one of the main considerations a writer must take into account when composing a written work is “audience”. Determining who your main audience is and how you will address them is key to presenting concepts and ideas that will be relatable to the reader.
We do this, almost unconsciously and on a daily basis, in our verbal communication. Examples are not difficult to find. When a casual acquaintance sees you at a restaurant and asks you how you are doing, you are more than likely to say something along the lines of, “Very well,” or “Great!” or “Not too bad! Yourself?” But if one of your closest confidants, who knew about some particular struggle you were having in your life, pulled you aside and asked you how you were doing, you would probably respond with a lot more detail. Your brain would almost instantaneously assess the nature of your relationship, his/her awareness of your situation, the private nature of your surroundings, the implications of your response, and a host of other factors to determine the content of what you would say. Another example can be found when an adult tries to impart a certain set of knowledge to a young child. Take sex, for example. If a three-year old asks you where babies come from, it isn’t necessarily the best idea to go into an advanced discourse about the human reproductive process. Is it important to understand? Yes, but the child needs to be given information that is appropriate for his/her level of understanding and that can guide him/her into the best use of that information.
As a reader, one benefits by applying the inverse of “audience”. To get the most out of any written work, a reader must correctly determine the audience to which he belongs. When it comes to secular subjects, most people assign themselves to a certain audience fairly well, most of the time. The whole “______ For Dummies” series of books caters to an audience who knows very little about a specific subject and can admit it. They know that they lack a basic understanding of the subject matter and purchase a “Dummies” book knowing that it is meant to guide them through new information beginning at an easy-to-understand starting point. Scientific journals, on the other hand, are read by individuals who want a more advanced understanding on a particular subject and who can keep up with the ideas presented because they have a foundational understanding that empowers them to grapple complex concepts regarding the subject. What happens if you don’t correctly assign yourself to the intended audience? Well, chances are that you will find yourself wasting a lot of time. Either you will spend a lot of time reading a lot of information that you already understand or you will spend a lot of time reading a lot of information that you do not have the ability to understand.
The scriptures, however, aren’t written for one specific group of people at one specific level of understanding. God has the complicated task of trying to reach the hearts and minds of individuals whose understanding is at many different levels. The scriptures are addressed to many groups of people, each of whom are at varying levels of understanding and association with God and it may be surprising to realize that some scripture may not apply directly to you. It is a great help to identify whether or not we are a part of God’s target audience.
Take, for example, the epistles of Paul in which he addresses the recipients of those epistles as “saints”. Well, what is a saint? What qualifies someone to be called a saint? If we have not met those qualifications, is Paul’s message as applicable to us as it would be if we have? Some of his epistles address “saints” and some of his epistles address those “called to be saints”. Is there a difference? If so, what is it? What moves a person from one group to the other? Which group are we in?
Let’s take a look at Ephesians 1:
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
There are hallmarks of being a saint listed in this chapter. They are blessed with “all spiritual blessings”. They have “the forgiveness of sins”. They “were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise”. There are others, but the point is made regardless. Are we part of Paul’s audience? Have we acquired these hallmarks? If not, how do we acquire them?
Or take Isaiah. Read through chapter 1. It's long, but it's good. :)
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
9 Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
24 Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.
31 And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.
Some rough stuff, don’t you think? Seems like we would want to make sure, from God Himself, that we are not part of this group. Who is Isaiah addressing here? A “sinful nation”? A “people laden with iniquity”? A “seed of evildoers”? “Children that are corrupters?” People who “have forsaken the Lord” and who “have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger”? People who “are gone away backward”? What do each of these terms mean? What qualifies a person to be any of these things? Do we meet these qualifications? If we are part of these groups, how do we get out?
To make matters just a little more complicated, we must sort out what applies to the physical and the spiritual realms. For example, there is a difference between physical Israel and spiritual Israel. There is a difference between physical Gentiles and spiritual Gentiles. So, when the scriptures talk about “Israel” or “Gentiles”, which one are they talking about? You may belong to one group, but not belong to the other, and might incorrectly assume that certain scriptures do or do not apply to you.
Here are some other examples of easy-to-spot names in which the scriptures address certain groups of people:
House of Israel
House of Jacob
O ye Gentiles
My brethren
My beloved brethren
Children of God
Children of the devil
Church of the Lamb of God
Church of the devil
Ye wicked and perverse generation
Daughter of Zion
Son
Prophets
Sons of the prophets
Heathen
Here are some other examples of easy-to-spot names in which the scriptures address certain groups of people:
House of Israel
House of Jacob
O ye Gentiles
My brethren
My beloved brethren
Children of God
Children of the devil
Church of the Lamb of God
Church of the devil
Ye wicked and perverse generation
Daughter of Zion
Son
Prophets
Sons of the prophets
Heathen
Even after we recognize that there are different audiences in the scriptures and that there are things that qualify a person to be a part of a certain audience, there is still one formidable hurdle to overcome and that is our own pride. Human beings, by and large, do a horrible job at assigning themselves to the spiritual audience to which they actually belong because they don’t like assigning themselves to the “bad” group. It strikes at our ego and that doesn’t feel good. If feels better to think that we are like Nephi, with a few minor adjustments that need to be made, than it does to admit that we are actually more like Laman and Lemuel.
Now, this isn’t to say that a person will not learn anything from the scriptures unless he knows to which audience he belongs. We can glean truth, regardless, but we can learn so much more with an accurate determination of which audience we are in. Because of our disposition to categorize ourselves in a “better” audience, the best way to find out which audience you are a part of is to ask God. He will tell you. He loves you and He won’t lie, but you have to expect the worst (because we all start out fallen) and be willing to make changes for the better. Otherwise, what good is his answer, anyway? Ask Him by seeking to understand who His audiences are. Seek to understand which audience He would place you in. Seek to spiritually understand the categories of people that He addresses in the scriptures. Seek to understand what is required to qualify yourself for advancement through those categories.