One of the reasons it is critical to recognize the context of a passage is that there are numerous statements made that have nothing to do with you.

In Genesis, there are promises made to Abraham that were meant specifically for him. Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets made numerous promises to the Israelites about their future. Jesus informed the twelve disciples of all kinds of amazing things that would happen to them upon his departure. On top of all that, there are promises in the New Testament for Jesus’ followers, not for humanity in general.

If you do not understand this, you will read the Old Testament, for example, a passage that was meant for Israel and apply it to our world today, totally changing its meaning.

Always ask yourself as you read your Bible, “To whom was this said?”

Quite often, the application is not for you but for someone else. In understanding this Biblically, we can begin to see that we follow a God who speaks and then follows through, even when he is not speaking to us.