Chapter
9 – God & the Rest of the World
For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him
shall
not perish but have eternal life.
(Jn 3:16)
Chapter
9 Contents
9.1
Isn't the Old Testament just about the Jews?
9.2
God's concern for the world from the Patriarchs on
9.3
God's concern passed on by the early leaders Moses & Joshua
9.4
God's concern for the world through David & Solomon
9.5
God's heart for the world conveyed through the Prophets
9.6
God's dealings with Gentile Kings using Daniel
9.7
Other Instances of Gentile Contact
9.8
The New Testament: The climax of God's concern for the world
9.9
And
So
9.1
Isn't the Old Testament just about the Jews?
We
concluded the previous chapter facing some of the natural questions
that arise in thinking people when we consider God's activities through
Israel,
e.g. What about the rest of the world? Doesn't God care for the rest
of the world as well? The answer, we hope you will come to see in
this chapter, is a resounding, “Yes!”
Yet
questions do arise in the minds of thinking people, “Isn't the Old
Testament at least, all about the Jews? What about the rest of us?
Why didn't God work with the whole world?
I
believe the short answer to that, which we will verify by this chapter,
is that God chose a particular nation, right from its outset, to reveal
Himself through to the rest of the world.
I
believe we will see that throughout the Old Testament the signs
are clearly there that Israel
was to be a light to the
rest of the world, who would see what was happening to them,
and have their thoughts drawn to the God who was interacting
with this nation. |
God's
intent was that Israel reveal Him to the rest of the world |
Everything
about this nation – their founding grandfather, even their actual
father, the way they came into being in Egypt, the way they were delivered
from Egypt, the way they were led and given a new land to live in,
the struggles they had there, the eventual exile and restoration –
all this pointed to the reality and existence of the One God.
So
let's see what signs there are on the Old Testament that God cares
for the whole world and not just Israel:
Return
to top of page
9.2
God's concern for the world from the Patriarchs on
If
you are not familiar with the story, Abram (Genesis 12 on) was called
by God to go and live in the land
of Canaan.
Eventually he had a son called Isaac and Isaac eventually had two
sons, Jacob and Esau. God chose Jacob and changed his name to Israel
. He had twelve sons who developed
into twelve tribes which formed the nation of Israel
. So let's see some of the encounters
these men had with God and how that reveals God's intention in respect
of the rest of the world.
Gen
12:2,3
" I
will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make
your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who
bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples
on earth will be blessed through you."
- I
am sure that throughout his life Abram, or Abraham as he became,
really had little or no idea what this meant. Today we believe it
had a fourfold application:
- First,
that he would become the father of a great nation, Israel
, through whom God would reveal
Himself, (actually the grandfather, though culturally considered
one and the same thing) and
- Second,
out of his family line would eventually come the Messiah, who would
be God's means of bringing salvation to the whole world, and
- Third,
Abraham became known as God's ‘friend' (Isa 41:8) showing it was
possible for mankind to have a close relationship with Almighty
God, and
- Fourth,
Abraham was known as a man of faith and faith was to become the
vehicle by which salvation was received (see Rom 3-5).
- However,
in answer to the skeptics, perhaps the most important thing here
is to note God's promise to this first man, who was to have an ongoing
relationship with God, was that God would use him to somehow bless
the whole world, to bless all peoples!
- There
is nothing parochial about this and it comes in the first prophetic
declaration to Abram by God.
Gen
17:3-7 Abram
fell face down, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant
with you: You will be the father of many nations.
No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for
I have made you a father of many nations. I will
make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will
come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant
between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations
to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- not
only will Abram be a blessing in the ways we have considered above,
his family will spread and create other nations – influence further
afield.
Gen
18:17,18
Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I
am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation,
and all nations on earth will be blessed through
him.
- Abraham's
influence across the earth reiterated by the Lord
Gen
22:15-18
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second
time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because
you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the
stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants
will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your
offspring all nations on earth will be blessed ,
because you have obeyed me."
- Abraham's
obedience opened the way for God's blessing to flow and the divine
purpose to be worked out to potentially bless the whole
earth.
Gen
26:2-4
The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do
not go down to Egypt
;
live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a
while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your
descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath
I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous
as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through
your offspring all nations on earth will
be blessed”
- the
same promise of blessing for the earth is given to Isaac
- the
‘offspring', down the human family line at least, would be the Messiah,
Jesus Christ.
Gen
28:13,14 I
am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.
I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.
Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will
spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.
All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your
offspring.
- This
same promise of blessing to all the earth came to Jacob
whose name the Lord changed to Israel
, and who thus became the immediate
father of the nation.
- As
we have seen in a previous chapter, God changed this twister into
a respected, wise old man of faith. He is thus an example of a crooked
human being who God loved, accepted and straightened out. If God
could do that with Jacob, He can do it with any one of us.
- Possibly
the primary sense of this promise to Jacob to the second reason
in the reasons given above about the fulfilment through Abram.
Return
to top of page
9.3
God's concern passed on by the early leaders Moses &
Joshua
The
nation, because of a worldwide famine, end up in Egypt
and settle there. Four hundred
years later they have grown to a great people, and a threat to the
Egyptians who made slaves of them. Using Moses, God delivered them
from Egypt
and sought to lead them into the Promised Land, Canaan,
yet they rebelled and so ended up wandering in the desert for the
next forty years until Moses died and God used Joshua to lead them
into the land. Let's hear some of the things that the Lord said through
Moses and Joshua which, again, reveal His heart for the world.
Ex
15:14-16
The nations will hear and tremble; anguish
will grip the people of Philistia.
The chiefs of Edom
will be terrified, the leaders of Moab
will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan
will melt away; terror and dread will fall upon them.
- as
we will see in a later chapter, God's presence with Israel
as they approach the Promised
Land will bring fear to the surrounding nations – they WILL know
what is happening.
- these
things will testify to the surrounding nations about the presence
of Almighty God with this people.
- this
declaration is made even before they are constituted a nation at
Mount Sinai .
Num
14:13-17 Moses
said to the LORD, "Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By
your power you brought these people up from among them. And they will
tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard
that you, O LORD, are with these people and that you, O LORD, have
been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that
you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire
by night. If you put these people to death all at one time, the
nations who have heard this report about you will say, `The
LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised
them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert.'
- this
incident points to the same thing and occurs at Mount
Sinai .
- when
Moses argued with the Lord to withhold His hand of judgment from
Israel ,
one of his arguments is to do with what the surrounding nations
would think.
- it
indicates very clearly that what was happening to Israel quickly
became common knowledge in the surrounding nations.
Deut
2:24,25 "See,
I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and
his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle.
This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on
all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you
and will tremble and be in anguish because of you."
- this
was Moses reminding Israel
of what the Lord had said,
as above, shortly before he dies and before they enter the land
under Joshua.
- the
word will spread beyond the immediate nations to all nations.
Deut
4:5,6
See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God
commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering
to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show
your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who
will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great
nation is a wise and understanding people."
- Moses
tells Israel that
they will be an example to all other nations to reveal the Lord.
Deut
28:8-10
The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you
on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in
his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see
that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you.
- a
further reference to all the world seeing and knowing what was going
on!
- God
will be revealed to the world.
- so
far these are all references to do with Moses being God's mouthpiece.
Before
we leave Moses, perhaps we should just note a simple incident involving
his father-in-law, Jethro, the elderly Midianite priest, who goes
to meet Moses and his people at Sinai. Why?
Ex
18:1 “Now
Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard
of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and
how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt .”
This
is fascinating because it tells us something of how news travelled
around the desert lands. The word gets to him that Israel are making
their way down the Sinai Peninsular and so he goes to meet them. When
he reaches them at Mount Sinai we read the confirmation of what he
had already heard:
Ex
18:8 “Moses told his
father-in-law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the
Egyptians for Israel 's sake and about all the hardships they had
met along the way and how the LORD had saved them.”
Now
see the response of this elderly old priest from Midian:
Ex
18:10,11 “He said,
"Praise be to the
LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh,
and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know
that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those
who had treated Israel arrogantly.”
Moses had
previously told him about his experience at the burning bush but now
this testimony convinced the old man that the 'I AM' was truly the
one and only God who should be worshipped.
Josh
4:23,24 For
the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed
over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to
the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.
He did this so that all the peoples of the earth
might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might
always fear the LORD your God.”
- already
the understanding was that the world would see and know when they
heard what God had done for Israel
- this
is now conveyed by Joshua as they enter the land.
Return
to top of page
9.4
God's concern for the world through David & Solomon
After
Israel
settled in the Land, they were ruled by judges. Eventually they asked
God for a king and were given Saul who didn't make a good job of it.
God replaced him by king David whose son, Solomon, eventually followed
him. David was described as “a man after God's own heart” and the
Lord used him to build up and strengthen the nation and make it powerful.
When Solomon took over, the Lord gave him great wisdom which resulted
in great prosperity for the nation. Both these two men understood
God's calling on the nation to be a light to the rest of the world:
1
Chron 16:8,24
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among
the nations what he has done… …
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among
all peoples .
- on
the day David brought the ark to the Temple
he wrote this psalm.
- in
it he clearly understands that their calling is to tell the rest
of the world of the wonders of the Lord
Psa
57:9
I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
- this
became a familiar refrain by David in the Psalms
Psa
67:1-4
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine
upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among
all nations . May the peoples praise you, O God; may all
the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the
earth.
- in
this unnamed psalm (?possibly by David) the same theme is expanded
upon
- it
extends to include God's sovereign activity across all the earth.
Psa
96:3 Declare
his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds
among all peoples.
- another
unnamed psalm (?possibly by David) has the same theme
Psa
96:10,13 Say
among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The
world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will
judge the peoples with equity….. he comes to judge
the earth . He will judge the world
in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.
- yet
another unnamed psalm (?possibly by David) declares the same thing
– tell it to the world!
- let
the world know that God is the Supreme Judge of all peoples.
Psa
108:3-5 I
will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will
sing of you among the peoples. For great is your
love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over
all the earth.
- in
this psalm by David, again David is quite specific in his understanding
- God's
praise and glory is for the whole earth to see and know.
1
Kings 4:29-34 God
gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding
as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater
than the wisdom of all the men of the East, …. And his fame spread
to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand
proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described
plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out
of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.
Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom,
sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom
- this
amazing account shows us how the Lord gave Solomon such wisdom that
news of it spread across the world.
1
Kings 8:41-43 "As
for the foreigner who does not belong to your people
Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name
-- for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand
and your outstretched arm--when he comes and prays toward this temple,
then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner
asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth
may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and
may know that this house I have built bears your Name”.
- this
is part of Solomon's prayer of dedication of the Temple
in Jerusalem
- this
is a remarkable openness to the rest of the world – Solomon recognises
that people from other lands can come and pray in this temple and
when they do God will answer!
- by
this all peoples will know of the Lord!
1
Kings 8:59-61 “may
these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near
to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of
his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's
need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know
that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must
be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and
obey his commands, as at this time."
- after
he prays, Solomon addresses the people
- he
sees that as God blesses them, the rest of the world will see and
know.
- all
they have to do is be faithful to the Lord.
1
Kings 9:6,7
if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the
commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods
and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have
given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.
Israel
will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among
all peoples.”
- the
Lord in a dream warns Solomon
- not
only can the world see their blessing, but if they turn away from
God, the world will see and know that too.
1
Kings 10:1-10 When
the queen of Sheba
heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the
LORD, she came to test him with hard questions… When the queen of
Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the
food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants
in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at
the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed. …… happy your men must
be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and
hear your wisdom! Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted
in you and placed you on the throne of Israel.
Because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel,
he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness."
- this
is a classic case of fame spreading to other countries and God being
glorified.
Return
to top of page
9.5
God's heart for the world conveyed through the Prophets
Throughout
the life of Israel ,
‘prophets' who spoke out the heart and mind of God to the people,
conveyed the same message: this nation is all about letting God's
light shine to the rest of the world:
| Isaiah
speaks God's heart |
Isa
2:3,4 Many
peoples will
come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that
we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion
,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations and will settle
disputes for many peoples .
- Isaiah
prophesies about a time in the future where the world will focus
on Jerusalem
because they want to know God's ways.
Isa
11:10
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the
peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of
rest will be glorious.
- Isaiah
speaks of the Messiah who will draw people from all nations
Isa
25:6-8 On
this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food
for all peoples , a banquet of aged wine-- the best
of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples , the sheet that
covers all nations ; he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces
; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all
the earth .
- Isaiah
is absolutely clear that God's ultimate purposes include blessing
for all the earth.
Isa
34:1,2
Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention,
you peoples! Let the earth hear,
and all that is in it, the world , and all that comes
out of it! The LORD is angry with all nations;
- but
he is equally clear that all the earth will be answerable to the
Lord.
Isa
42:6
I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the
people and a light for the Gentiles
- this
is Isaiah's classic statement of God's purpose – to be a light to
the Gentiles, to the rest of the world
Isa
49:6 I
will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my
salvation to the ends of the earth.
- Isaiah
reiterates the ‘light' picture as he speaks of the coming Messiah
Isa
49:22 This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I will beckon
to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the
peoples ; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry
your daughters on their shoulders.
- when
there is a returning of Israel
to their land, the whole world
will know about it
- (Fulfilled
after the Exile and in the middle of the 20th century)
- Zeph
3:19,20
says the same sort of thing.
Isa
55:4,5 See,
I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader
and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations
you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten
to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for
he has endowed you with splendor."
- God's
blessing of Israel
(through the Messiah?) will draw all nations of the world.
Isa
60:1-3 Arise,
shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon
you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the
peoples , but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears
over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings
to the brightness of your dawn.
- yet
again the same thing: God's blessing of Israel
will be seen by the whole
world who will be drawn
Isa
61:9
“Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples. All who see
them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
- this
part of this prophecy draws together much of the rest of it – that
God's people will be seen and recognised by the earth – seen to
be a blessed people, blessed by God.
Joel
2:17 Let
the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple
porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among
the nations . Why should they say among the peoples, `Where
is their God?' "
- even
the minor prophets were aware that their nation was on view to the
rest of the world.
Mic
1:2 Hear,
O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth
and all who are in it, that the Sovereign LORD may witness against
you, the Lord from his holy temple.
- even
Micah has a worldwide perspective – God is the God of the whole
world and the whole world is accountable to Him.
Zech
8:20-22
This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Many peoples
and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the
inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, `Let us go at
once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.'
And many peoples and powerful nations will come
to Jerusalem
to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him."
- Zechariah
also has a sense of a time when Jerusalem
will be a focus of people
from all over the world
- again
definitely a world view.
Return
to top of page
9.6
God's dealings with Gentile Kings using Daniel
The
book of Daniel is a remarkable book. It recounts
the story of a young man who turns out to be a prophet who gets taken
to another country where he lives in the court of a Gentile king,
an all-powerful king, Nebuchadnezzar. He is a witness to this and
following kings and we have remarkable accounts of God's dealing with
them. This is most definitely the God for whom national boundaries
mean nothing.
| Nebuchadnezzar
impacted by God |
Dan
4:1,2
“King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and
men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper
greatly! It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs
and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.”
- this
is possibly the most amazing testimony of Scripture – this all-powerful
king who has been humbled by God now testifies to it to the whole
world – incredible!
- it
is a testimony that says God deals with non-Jews – and blesses them!
Dan
4:34,35
At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar,
raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised
the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His
dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation
to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of
the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What
have you done?"
- this
is the end of this great king's testimony
- it
is not so much about Israel
being a testimony to the rest
of the world, but this gentile king making these amazing declarations.
Dan
6:25-27
Then King Darius wrote to all the
peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the
land: "May you prosper greatly! "I issue a decree that in
every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of
Daniel. "For he is the living God and he endures forever; his
kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues
and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on
the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."
- again
another incredible testimony from a Gentile king about the greatness
of God
- it
was not to the whole earth but to all of his kingdom which was very
extensive, peoples who were not Jews.
Dan
7:13,14
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one
like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached
the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority,
glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men
of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be
destroyed.”
- Daniel's
vision has worldwide implications.
- This
part speaks about the coming Messiah who will have worldwide impact,
but other parts of the vision are all about other ‘kingdoms' that
God will have dealings with.
Ezra
1:1-3
In the first year of Cyrus king of
Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by
Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make
a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: "This
is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "The LORD, the God of heaven,
has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me
to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people
among you--may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem
in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the
God who is in Jerusalem.”
- Cyrus
was a later successor to Nebuchadnezzar
- Here
we find him being inspired to by God to release the Jews back to
their land to rebuild the Temple
and later the city.
- Again
a great move of sovereign God to bring about His purposes, using
a Gentile king.
Return
to top of page
9.7
Other Instances of Gentile Contact
Josh
2:1,2
Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim.
"Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho
."
So they went and entered the house of a prostitute (or
possibly an innkeeper) named Rahab and
stayed there.”
- She
harbours these spies and sees them out safely and eventually, when
Jericho
is taken, she becomes part of Israel
and eventually marries Salmon,
an Israelite, and becomes part of the Messianic family line (see
Mt 1:4,5).
- She
tells why she did it:
Josh
2:8-11 she
went up on the roof and said to them, "I know that the LORD has
given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on
us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because
of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the
water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what
you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the
Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it,
our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for
the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
- she,
with the whole city, had heard what had been happening.
- it
was because of what had happened that she joined them.
Josh
9:3,4,6 “However,
when the people of Gibeon
heard
what Joshua had done to Jericho
and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: …. Then they went to Joshua in the
camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel,
"We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us."
- they
join themselves to Israel,
albeit as servants.
- the
reason is given:
Josh
9:9,10 “the
fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports
of him: all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings
of the Amorites east of the Jordan--Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og
king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth”
- the
word had clearly been heard of Israel
's exploits.
- it
was because of what had happened that they joined Israel.
2
Kings 5:2,3
Now bands from Aram
had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel,
and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only
my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria
!
He would cure him of his leprosy."
- Naaman
was a Syrian army commander who had contracted leprosy.
- He
hears of Elisha through his Israelite servant girl who testifies
about the prophet
- He
goes, is healed and clearly trusts in the Lord as a result.
Return
to top of page
9.8
The New Testament: The climax of God's concern for the world
Mt
10:5,6
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions:
"Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel
.
- Jesus
clearly saw himself initially called to the people of Israel
- He
had to create a band of followers from this nation first of all
– but they would eventually be sent to the world (see below)
- However,
it did not stop him reaching out and healing Gentiles, e.g.
Mt
8:5-7 When
Jesus had entered Capernaum,
a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord,"
he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering."
Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
- the
man was clearly a Roman soldier, a Gentile.
- Jesus
had no problem ministering healing to his servant.
Jn
4:5-7
So he came to a town in Samaria
called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son
Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the
journey, sat down by the well…. When a Samaritan woman came to draw
water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"
- the
Jews disliked the Samaritans who they considered a mixed race, but
Jesus had no qualms about entering into conversation with a Samaritan
woman.
- God
is not concerned about boundaries.
Mt
15:21-22,28
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre
and Sidon
.
A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him,
crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter
is suffering terribly from demon-possession." …Then Jesus answered,
"Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted."
And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
- here
Jesus went to the far north of Israel where he encountered a Gentile
woman and healed her daughter.
| In
the Acts of the Apostles |
Acts
1:8
“you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea
and Samaria
,
and to the ends of the earth."
- in
these closing words of Jesus to his disciples, he gives them directions
– take the good news to the whole world!
- thus
God's heart for the whole world is fully revealed.
- the
rest of Acts and the letters of Paul have so many references to
places outside Israel
that they are too many to itemise here.
- the
rest of Acts is all about the taking of the Gospel to the surrounding
world; history records how it has been taken to the vast majority
of countries of the world
Return
to top of page
9.9
And So
This
would be a reasonable place to draw this chapter to a close. We have
seen how throughout the life of Israel recorded in the Old Testament,
there have been constant references to Israel being observed by the
surrounding countries and news of what happened between them and God
being taken to the rest of the world.
We
have seen
- how
it started with the Patriarchs,
- is
seen through the instructions of Moses and Joshua to the people,
- was
continued in the two most important kings in the early life of Israel
, David and Solomon,
- declared
through the prophets of Israel
and Judah
,
- witnessed
in the courts of Babylon
- seen
through incidents involving other Gentiles
- and
is continued in the New Testament at Jesus' bidding and Paul's activity.
To
say that the Old Testament is only the story of Israel
is only partially true. It certainly
focuses on Israel
and their dealings with God, but it recognises and declares their
calling to be a light to the rest of the world which God cared for
very much.
Historian
Edward Gibbon (1737 - 1794) makes an interesting comment about the
general attitude of the Jews and the rest of the world in his 'History
of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:
"The
obligation of preaching to the Gentiles the faith of Moses had never
been inculcated as a precept of the law, nor were the Jews inclined
to impose it on themselves as a voluntary duty.... The descendants
of Abraham were flattered by the opinion that they alone were the
heirs of the covenant, and they were apprehensive of diminishing
the value of their inheritance by sharing it too easily with the
strangers of the earth."
This
may simply be a further example of the sinfulness of mankind failing
to catch up with the heart of God, yet I hope we have shown in this
chapter that the intent was clearly there in the heart of God, even
if His people didn't do very well in working it out.
We
can do no better than to conclude with that famous verse from John's
Gospel that is at the head of this chapter:
For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him
shall
not perish but have eternal life.
(Jn 3:16)