Don't be confused fellow Christians, the Old Covenant Law-word was for All Nations -- not just for Israel -- the Israelites were constantly commissioned by Yahweh (Father, Jesus, Spirit) to be Old Covenant "evangelicals" for Him. This understanding has deep implications, most importantly among them I would offer is: Are the transcendent, moral laws of the OC still valid in this New Covenant?
But don't take my word for it. Read below.
(All Scripture is in the New King James Version other than I have changed the title LORD to the true name Yahweh, or YHWH)
-- “God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.” (Psalm 67)
-- "Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, and I will make My justice rest as a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples” (Isaiah 51.4-5)
-- "Oh, sing to Yahweh a new song! Sing to Yahweh, all the earth. Sing to Yahweh, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For Yahweh is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made the heavens. . . .Oh, worship Yahweh in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “Yahweh reigns”. (Psalm 96.1-5, 9-10)
-- “Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, and set up My standard for the peoples.”
(Isaiah 49.22)
-- “Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.” (Genesis 18.8)
-- King Solomon wrote in 950 B.C.:
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of mankind. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12.13-14)
-- Israel was to be a Nation of Priests, implying that they were to be teaching and interceding for all nations.
“And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19.6)
-- Jonah was commanded....
....by Yahweh to go and speak the Law of Yahweh to the non-covenant gentiles of Nineveh. This is a story showcasing God’s loving-kindness to all nations (“should I not pity Nineveh?”), and therefore giving guidance to His covenant people as to their role as His chosen priests in what they should love and do.
The future Messiah is certainly in view here, but undoubtedly Yahweh was using this story to inculcate to the Israelites the importance of reaching the nations with His Law-word through this narrative.
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
“And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons, and much livestock, who cannot discern between their right hand and their left?” (Jonah 1.2; 4.11)
-- The Temple in Jersualem was to be a “house of prayer for all nations” and not for Israel only. Implication being that the “nation of priests” were expected to herald the Law-word of Yahweh to the gentiles calling them to repent and believe in Him.
“Then He [Jesus] taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called house of prayer for all nations’?” (Mark 11.7, OT reference Isaiah 56.6-8)
-- Moses speaks of the effects of the Law of Yahweh on the gentile nations around them.
“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. . . . therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." (Deuteronomy 4.6-8)
-- Yahweh is shown in this passage below in Isaiah to send His Word out to a people who have no knowledge of Him. The normal means He does this is by His chosen people “preaching”, or declaring His Word to other people. At this time in history that would have been, of course, the Israelite nation. This was to be done in the OT as well as the NT.
This isn’t speaking of God just mystically or “spiritually” downloading His Word into a person’s heart apart from creational means that He ordained to accomplish that task. (Generally this can happen through individuals interacting with the created order, or “nature”, but the specifics of God’s will – or what one ought to do – are received through image bearers relating the Law-word of God to other image bearers who don’t know the wisdom of Yahweh.)
“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.” (Isaiah 45:22-23)
-- Isaiah speaks poetically of how Israel serves Yahweh by showing the “light” of the Truth – i.e. the Oracles of God (Romans 3.2) – to the Gentiles. Again, this would be, and is, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus, but this was first spoke about, and to, the Israelite nation concerning who they were and what Yahweh desired of them (they did not do it well nor faithfully, and that is one reason Jesus came and one thing He completed through his disciples.)
“Listen, O coastlands, to me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called me from the womb; from the matrix of my mother He has made mention of my name. And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden me, and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden me.” And He said to me, ‘You are my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ . . . Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that you should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel. . . : “Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen you.” Thus says the Lord: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you; I will preserve you and give you as a covenant to the people, to restore the earth, to cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; that you may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They shall feed along the roads, and their pastures shall be on all desolate heights. They shall neither hunger nor thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them; for He who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them. I will make each of My mountains a road, and My highways shall be elevated. Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, and these from the land of Sinim.” . . (Isaiah 49.1-12)
-- “It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them . . . to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles..” (Isaiah 66.18-19)
-- “Praise the Lord, call upon His name; declare His deeds among the peoples, make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to Yahweh, for He has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
(Isaiah 12.4-6)
-- Solomon, when praying at the dedication of the Temple, includes his concern for gentiles coming to know the Truth, and shows us too that speaking this way about gentiles among the Israelites was not strange or innovative.
"Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.” (1 Kings 8.41-43)~~ The Psalms are full of calls for the Israelites to declare the Word of Yahweh to all nations, and that the gentiles should in turn heed that message and praise God’s name.
-- Yahweh is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
9 Yahweh is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. (145.8-12)
-- You, O Yahweh, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
15 So the nations shall fear the name of Yahweh,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For Yahweh shall build up Zion;
He shall appear in His glory.
17 He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
18 This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise Yahweh.
19 For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven Yahweh viewed the earth,
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death,
21 To declare the name of Yahweh in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve Yahweh. (102.12-22)
-- Sing praises to Yahweh, who dwells in Zion!
Declare His deeds among the peoples. (9.11)
-- Praise Yahweh from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
For His name alone is exalted. (148.7-13)
-- Make a joyful shout to Yahweh, all the Earth!
2 Serve Yahweh with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that Yahweh, He is God. (100.1-3)
-- Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Worship Yahweh with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. (2.10-12)
-- Yahweh reigns;
Let the peoples tremble! (99.1)
Compiled by C.E. Ankeny, Advent 2015
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