구약의 선교명령
THE MISSION MANDATE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.
Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Old Testament
President, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
South Hamilton, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Unfortunately, it is all too rare an occurrence to have the Old Testament included among the textbooks and preaching ministries on the missionary challenge for the Church. But it will be our goal to show that this is precisely what is needed today if the Church and seminary are to be faithful in carrying out the commands and instructions that have been left for us in Scripture.
Less careful readers of the Bible traditionally have pointed to the New Testament as the first place where the so-called “Great Commission” of our Lord was given in Matthew 28: 18 – 20; Mark 16: 15; Luke 24: 25-26, 46-49; John 20: 21; and Acts 1: 8.
But we must ask, “Is this the first time that our Lord has introduced the theme of missions in the Bible?” “Is it true that the Old Testament was merely concerned about the Jewish people, but God had no interest or plan for the rest of the nationalities or peoples of the earth? Did a switch in divine plans occur when it became apparent that the Jewish people were not going to believe in their Messiah, at least not in great numbers?”
All of these questions miss the main point of the Old Testament. From the very beginning of the story of the Bible, a mission to all the peoples of the earth played a major part. The central text for this claim can be found in Genesis 12: 3 – “In your seed [Abraham], all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” That is the earliest statement of the fact that it would be God’s purpose and plan to see that the message of his grace and mercy came to every person on planet earth.
But this theme was not stated at the beginning of the Bible only to be forgotten and not raised again. It remained one of the main points throughout the entirety of the Bible with this note still being present all the way up to the end of the book of Revelation 5: 9; 7: 9 and 14: 6. There the same concern was raised for “every nation and tribe and tongue and people” in these texts of the last book of the Bible. In this way, this message formed one large frame for the whole Bible from Genesis to
Revelation.
But some will object: “Was it not God’s plan to give his message of salvation to the Jewish people first?” “Wasn’t it the apostle Paul who broadened this plan to embrace the Gentiles after the apostle was frustrated in his attempts to reach his own people?”
True enough, Paul did come to a dramatic conclusion in Acts 13: 46 – 47 at the synagogue in Antioch Pisidia: “Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: `We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”’”
Notice that even here Paul quotes from the Old Testament as his authority for adopting this new strategy of going to the Gentiles. That strategy was not brand new with Paul or Barnabas, but was one that had Old Testament roots.
Even prior to Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, the Lord had informed Ananias, “Go, this is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel” (Acts 9: 15). Paul reaffirmed this commission to go to the Gentiles at the time of his conversion when he gave his famous “Speech in the Stairs” in Acts 22: 15, which he repeated again in Acts 26: 15 – 17 to King Agrippa.
Therefore, it can hardly be argued that this was some sort of late shift in the apostolic plans or that it marked the first time that the message of salvation would now be extended to the non-Jewish world.
In fact, Paul cites as his authority for extending his message to the Gentile world the Old Testament word from Isaiah 49: 6 –
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant ….
I have also made you a light for the Gentiles,
That you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
However, it would also be incorrect to say that Abraham was the first to receive the goal of “all peoples” for the message of the Gospel. Genesis 1 – 11 was not a nationalistic section of the Bible that favored the Jewish people. It was, instead, one of the most universalistic sections of the Bible in the sense that it ended with a list in Genesis 10 of seventy nations – the very “families” and “all peoples” that were to receive the blessing from God through Abraham and his “Seed” in Genesis 12: 3.
The expression “all peoples” did not mean that every person on earth would universally believe in the Messiah; instead, it meant that every ethnic group and every nation would be privileged to receive this blessing from God and the joy of participating in worshiping him.
The blessing that would come through Abraham in Genesis 12: 3 referred back to a blessing that already had been announced after the Fall of Adam and Eve. God’s provision for the curse that sin had brought on the world was a male descendant who was promised to the woman (Genesis 3: 15). The “enmity” and hostility that Adam and Eve’s sin had aroused would end when that male descendant of the woman crushed the head of that old dragon, the serpent, Satan himself. This offer was enlarged in the promise given to Shem that God would come and “dwell in the tents of Shem” (Genesis 9: 27). At this point we could not tell which Semite (=Shemite) God meant. But when God called Abraham, it became clear that the Semite he chose was a Hebrew named Abram later renamed Abraham (Genesis 12: 1 – 3).
Genesis 12: 1 – 3
No reason is given in the text why God chose Abram. This son of Terah was commanded to leave Ur of the Babylonians and journey to the place that God would reveal to him. Amazingly he obeyed.
God announced that he would give Abram three promises. They were:
“I will make you into a great nation,
I will bless you,
I will make your name great.”
But why would God do this for one isolated individual? Had not the citizens of earth sought on their own terms to obtain a “name” for themselves in Genesis 6: 4 and 11: 4? Was God showing partiality and favoritism to this Hebrew Semite when plenty of other men had hoped by their own efforts to achieve the same thing?
It is the fourth clause in Genesis 12: 2-3 that answers this question in an unexpected way. This man was not being singled out for favoritism and special treatment. Instead, he was to receive the three promises already noted “in order that (my translation) you [Abram] may be a blessing.” Therefore, everything given to him as a gift was specifically so that he could share it with others! However, it was not clear how this was to be done and with whom he was to share it.
Two more promises are added to the three promises noted above from Genesis 12: 2 – 3. They were:
“I will bless those who bless you [Abram],
And whoever curses you I will curse.”
In saying this, the author of Scripture divides the whole human race into two classes of people who will make opposite responses to Abram and to the God of Abram: some blessing and others cursing Abram and his God.
Once again the subtle Hebrew particle translated “and” should be translated as a final purpose clause in that it also shifts to the Hebrew Perfect tense to summarize what was the goal of this five point promise to this patriarch. It was “so that (my translation) all the peoples on earth may be blessed through you [Abram].” This same promise was later repeated in Genesis 18: 18; 22: 18; 26: 4 and 26: 14.
It is to be carefully noted that the verb “to bless” in Genesis 12: 3 must be translated as a passive, “will be blessed,” and not as in some modern versions in the twentieth century as a reflexive, “ will bless themselves.” All five passages in Genesis recording the Abrahamic promise are rendered as passives in the Samaritan Version, the Babylonian (Onkelos), the Jerusalem (Pseudo-Jonathan) Targums, and all citations of these references in the Intertestamental literature, as well as in the New Testament (e.g., Acts 3: 25).
The apostle Paul named Abraham as the “heir of the world” in Romans 4: 13 and in Galatians 3: 8 he equated the clause that “in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed” as the simplest statement of the Gospel itself. Moreover, Paul carefully noted in Galatians 3: 16 that the Old Testament had not used the plural form of “seed,” but had used a collective form “seed,” which pointed to one person, that is Christ. Nevertheless, all who believe, whether in either testament, any nationality, race, or gender, were part of “Abraham’s seed” according to that same chapter of Paul, Galatians 3: 29.
Exodus 19: 4 – 6
By now it is clear that the election of Israel, far from being the rejection of all the other nations of the world, was the very means of salvation for all the nations of the earth. The call of God on the people of Israel was not a call to privilege, but an election for service. As such the priestly character of the nation was to be one of Israel’s chief reasons for existence. They were to be God’s ministers, his preachers, his prophets both to her own nation and to the nations of the world.
Moses’ famous “Eagle’s Wings Speech” that begins in Exodus 19: 3 stressed that God had borne Israel like an eagle would work with her young while they were learning how to fly. This being so, the nation of Israel was to be God’s “treasured possession,” “a kingdom of priests,” and “a holy nation” (Exodus 19: 5 – 6). They were to perform three ministries. First they were to be available as his “treasured possession,” or “jewels” to be moved about and dispersed as he pleased. Secondly, they were to be a “kingdom of priests” to God. The nation of Israel was to have a mediatorial role as they related to the nations and people groups around them. It was not a small task to be royal priests or “kings and priests” to God on his behalf to the world around them. It is this very concept that Israel decided to resist and not accept. Instead, they appointed Moses to ascent the Mount to receive the word of God for them, for it became too awesome to have God speak to the whole nations directly from heaven (Exodus 20: 19; Deuteronomy 5: 26). Nevertheless, it was this very passage in Exodus 19: 5-6 that became the basis for the concept of the priesthood of all believers as it was expressed in I Peter 2: 9; Revelation 1: 6; and 5: 10 for New Testament believers. And the third function offered to the nation was that they were to be a “holy nation.” This meant that they were to be “set apart” for a special task. That task was to announce the good news of the Gospel to all the peoples of the earth both in their time and through the Scriptures to our times as well.
2 Samuel 7: 19
To trace out the rest of the plan of God first offered to Eve, Shem, Abram, Isaac and Jacob, and Moses, it is necessary to study the next most important announcement of this plan of God for missions and the Gospel. This word came to King David in 2 Samuel 7 with its parallel in 1 Chronicles 17 and its commentary in Psalm 89.
David has just completed building his palace. During his dedication ceremony for this new structure, he enthusiastically told the prophet Nathan that he planned to build a temple for God. It was not right for the mortal king to have a house and the eternal God not have a house. At first Nathan, speaking for himself, encouraged King David to go ahead and do just that. That night, however, God spoke his own word to Nathan and told him to tell David that he would not be able to build the projected house for God.
But God had a more startling plan for David: God would make a “house” (= a dynasty) out of his son and his seed. David’s son would be God’s son and God would be a father to David’s son. Moreover, God would give David and his family a “throne,” a “dynasty,” and a “kingdom” that would be forever and without end (2 Samuel 7: 4, 16).
Now all of this took David by surprise. He entered the tabernacle and sat down before the Lord and exclaimed:
“Who am I, O Lord Yahweh,
and who is my family,
that you have brought me this far?
And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Lord Yahweh,
You have spoken about the future of the house of your
Servant.
And this is the charter for humanity, O Lord Yahweh.”
2 Samuel 7: 18 – 19 (my translation).
There are a number of unusual matters in these two verses. One notices immediately the unusual use of “Lord Yahweh,” or “Adonai Yahweh,” for a total of five times in verses 18 – 19, 22, 28 – 29. This unusual compound name for God had been used previously when God had promised Abram a “seed” in Genesis 15: 2, 8. It is never found in any other part of Samuel and appears only 7 other times in the Old Testament. Its repeated use in Genesis 15 with the Abrahamic covenant and in 2 Samuel 7 with the Davidic covenant is too striking to be accidental or without special reason. The writers of Scripture deliberately wanted to draw attention to these two covenants as being two very important moments in the plan and purpose of God.
But it then becomes all the more important to pay attention to the phrase in 2 Samuel 7: 19, “a charter for all humanity.” Most recent English translations mistranslate the Hebrew torat ha`adam by saying something like “Is this your usual way of dealing with man?” But that is far from the Hebrew text which speaks of a “law,” an “outline,” or a “decree” for “humanity.” But David had not missed the point: he realized that he had just been given a promise that linked his seed with that promise given to Eve, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. More than that, he had been told that this promise would be effective as a law, a decree, or even a charter for all humankind who would likewise believe. Once again, the promise was for David and for all humanity, just as it had been in Genesis 12: 3.
Psalm 67:
“The Psalter is one of the greatest missionary books in the world,” taught the late George Peters in his Biblical Theology of Missions (Chicago: Moody Press, pp. 115 – 116). In Professor Peter’s estimation, there are more than 175 references in the Psalms relating to the missionary message to the nations. In fact, it is possible to say that some Psalms are entirely missionary Psalms. He listed Psalms 2, 33, 66, 98, 117, and 145. To this we could add Psalms 67, 96, and 100.
The Psalm we would like to focus on is Psalm 67. In this Psalm the promise made to Abraham is here made the central point of the Psalm. But if the subject of this Psalm is the Abrahamic promise/covenant, one of the key texts it used was from the Aaronic Benediction of Numbers 6: 24 – 26.
The LORD [Yahweh] bless you and keep you;
The LORD [Yahweh] make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
The LORD [Yahweh] turn his face toward you
and give you his peace.
Note how the words from this familiar benediction are used in many Christian services is employed here. Rather than saying the LORD [=Yahweh], the covenantal and personal name used by those who have an intimate relationship with God, the psalmist substituted Elohim [“God”], the name used when one must express the Lord’s relationship to all men, nations, and creation. Thus the invitation was deliberately extended to all the nations who still did not have a relationship with the Living God. In so doing the psalmist directly applied what the High Priest Aaron and his fellow priests bestowed in prayer on the nation Israel as the word now offered to all the peoples and nations of the earth. It is this fact that makes this a missionary Psalm.
Each of the distinct strophes, or poetic paragraphs, ended in verses 3 and 5 with the repeated phrase “May all the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.” The structure of the Psalm is almost an exact replica of Genesis 12: 2 – 3 --- Bless us … bless us … bless us …. So that all the nations might come to know the Lord. All of this was so that “your [i.e., God’s] salvation [might be known] among all nations.”
This Psalm was sung at the Feast of Pentecost. It was at this same Feast of Pentecost that God would later pour out his Spirit on all flesh, just as the prophet Joel had predicted in Joel 2: 28 – 31. This was the occasion for the ingathering of the previous year’s harvest. In a similar way, it would be for the ingathering of the nations of the earth who would confess belief in the Man of Promise who was to come through the Seed of the woman, through Shem, through Abraham and David.
Over and over again the psalmist called on all nations, lands and peoples to praise the Lord (Psalm 47: 1; 67: 3, 5; 100: 1; 117: 1). Even more directly, these ancient singers urged their people to tell, proclaim, and make known the mighty acts and deeds of the Lord (Psalm 9: 11; 105: 1) and to join in singing praises to God from all the nations (Psalm 18: 49; 96: 2 – 3).
Some may argue that there is no evidence of Israel going out or of her being “sent” to the nations as missionaries in the Old Testament. But these Psalms urged Israel to tell, proclaim and announce who God was and what he had done to the nations. Such a command argues against the charge that the Jewish people were never sent to the peoples of the world. There are even more striking examples to the contrary in the Old Testament.
2 Kings 5: 1 – 19a
There is a long list of Gentiles who heard the word and appear to have responded to that word of salvation in the Old Testament. Who was it who had witnessed to Melchizedek in Genesis 14? Did not Abram, and even the unborn Levites, recognize this Gentile priest-king of Salem as a fellow believer? And was it Moses’ witness that had led his father-in-law, Jethro, to a saving knowledge in Exodus 18: 10 – 11? And where did Balaam, who lived in Upper Mesopotamia near the River Euphrates, receive his knowledge of Scripture and salvation? Then there is Rahab the prostitute who gave a very clear testimony in Joshua 2: 9 – 11. She too was included among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11. Ruth, the Moabitess, must also be mentioned, for she is in the very line of the Messiah.
But the most impressive story is that of a little captured Israelite maid who witnessed very boldly to Namaan, commander of the Syrian army in 2 Kings 5: 2. We do not know this girl’s name nor do we know where she got such an advanced theology. Did she really believe that the Lord God of Israel would heal a Gentile, even one who had caused such havoc as a foreign invader to this very same people of Israel?
And what an odd way to express one’s faith: go and dip in Jordan River seven times; especially since the rivers of Syria were much clearer! The gods of Namaan’s own country, as it turned out, were false and totally unable to relieve or cure his leprosy. But one fact was now evident to him and to those with him from his country, after he had obeyed this command to dip seven times in the Jordan River: the God of Israel was mighty in what he was able to do! He exclaimed, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel” (2 Kings 5: 15c).
Did Namaan put his faith and trust in the coming Man of Promise announced throughout the entire Old Testament? Surely, as Acts 4: 12 claims, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” A general belief in God was not enough; not even in the Old Testament. Surely, salvation was by grace and by faith alone. And Abraham was justified by faith when he believed in that promised “Seed” that would at first come forth from his own loins (Genesis 15: 6). But who or what was the object of Namaan’s faith? Namaan, like Abraham and us, must put his faith in Jesus Christ, or the names by which he was known in the Old Testament is it is to be saving faith. The question is: did he do just that?
Namaan gives evidence of a much greater knowledge of the God of Israel than what the text feels it is necessary to describe, for he immediately speaks of making “burnt offerings” to “Yahweh” (vs 17), an unusual use of the personal and covenantal name of God. And who told him that what he had to do in his official duties along with the head of state might be contradictory to his new allegiance to Yahweh? The case is not one hundred percent clear but it does suggest that he correctly had focused his faith in that same Man of Promise who was to come, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Another illustration of this same work of going out to others and being sent can be found in the story of Jonah. Despite his own wishes that he would not be successful in rousing the people of Nineveh to action, nevertheless he was the agent of repentance and change in the hearts and lives of thousands in that capitol city of Assyria.
Isaiah 42: 6 and 49: 6
Time fails us to trace the missionary theme throughout the prophets of the Old Testament, but these two texts in Isaiah can hardly be bypassed if we are to make our case. What they clearly teach is that the nation Israel had been called to be “the light for the Gentiles/nations.” If we are correct in seeing that the term “Servant of the Lord” is a corporate or collective term here, involving not only our Savior who was to come, but also all of believing Israel, then the case is made. Israel had been called from its very beginning to be missionary to all the peoples of the earth.
Conclusion
The Gentile mission was not some sort of after-thought tacked on to God’s special call and work with Israel. The mission to all the peoples of the world had been at the heart of all that God wanted to do and had called Israel and all believers to do. It is this truth that has prevented many readers of the Old Testament from capturing the heart of the message of the Old Testament.
In the plan of God, there was a “full number of the Gentiles” that had to come to know the Savior (Romans 11: 11 – 12, 5 – 26). It was from the Old Testament that the apostle Paul received his marching orders to go into the Gentile world and win them just as zealously as he had tried to win his own people Israel. Therefore, the case for winning the Gentiles had not been a recently devised switch in the plan of God, but has always been the everlasting plan and commitment of the Living God who is also a Missionary God.
The end.
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