Sunday, October 3, 2010

God's heart for all nations

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded to go and make all disciples of all nations. We, Christians, are so familiar with this verse, and it is easy to see God's heart for all people-both Jewish and Gentiles-in the New Testament. However, many people today do not know that God started to care about all the nations in the Old Testament. They think God only cared about Jews in the Old Testament period. It is true that God chose Israel among all the nations; However, it was not just about them. God's purpose was to bless everyone by making Him known in every part of the earth, and He started that work through Israel.

Then, how did God care about all people, not just Jewish but also Gentiles, and where in the Bible we can find it? God started His blessing to all people through the covenant. In Genesis 12:1-3, God chose Abraham and made the covenant with Him. In this covenant, God told him that all peoples on earth will be blessed through him. God also confirmed this promise with Isaac. Next, we can see God's care for all people in Mosaic covenant. At mountain Sinai, God promised Moses and Israelites that they shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation if they keep God's covenant. Priests were a mediator between God and man, and God wanted Israel to be a priesthood nation. God's plan was to make Israelites as a holy nation so that other nations would see who God is and how Israel was blessed by Him. This would bring other nations to Him.

Besides the covenants, we can see God's worldwide purpose in Psalms. 175 references in the Psalms show God's care for all the Gentiles. Many verses in Psalms talk about Israel as God's channel to bless all people and bring salvation including the Gentiles. God also revealed His global purpose through His prophets, and it is stated in Isaiah 49:6, Jeremiah 3:17, Joel 2:28, Micah 4:1-4, Habakkuk 2:14, Haggai 2:7, Zechariah 2:11, and Malachi 1:11. Moreover, we can see God’s salvation for Gentiles in the Old Testament. Caleb was a Gentile, not a Jew. In the genealogy of Jesus, we can find four women who are not Jewish, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. (Olson, 29-31)

As we see, God’s vision for people was always the same, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament; He wants to bless all people. It has never changed throughout the long history, and it is for everyone in the world.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Olson, C G. What in the World Is God Doing?: The Essentials of Global Missions : an Introductory Guide. Cedar Knolls, NJ: Global Gospel Pub, 1989. Print.

No comments:

Post a Comment