When we speak of Mission and the Bible it is common and instinctive for us to turn to the New Testament. The NT contains the Great Commission of Matthew 28. It has the history in Acts of the gospel spreading far and wide, and the establishment of Gentile churches. Letters to those churches explain doctrine and practice incredibly relevant to us today. We constantly refer to Paul as the prototypical missionary.
There is much to be learned from the NT on mission and perhaps I’ll do a post or two on that in the future. The OT has less specific instruction on mission but is still educational and instructive for mission today.
There are two extreme and opposite misconceptions about mission in the OT and Israel’s role as a ‘missionary’ nation. One is that Israel had no missionary mandate at all. It was intended to be completely insular and cut off from the outside. Israel was God’s holy, chosen nation, and God had no concern for the pagan nations outside. The opposite extreme is to say that Israel had a similar mandate to the church today, with an active call to go and reach the surrounding nations.
As is often the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
It is good to begin with a recognition that mission to the world is not a uniquely NT idea. Mission is ultimately about God’s glory. It is about worship. 2 Cor 4:15b says
as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”
The more and more people who see and receive God’s grace, the more who will give thanks to Him, to the furtherance of God’s glory. Obviously to get ‘more and more people’ you cannot be strictly limited to one nation.
God’s concern for His glory and for His name to be known all over the world began in the very beginning. He told Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28), a command that is repeated to Noah after he exits the ark (Gen 9:1).
The idea takes firmer shape when God calls Abraham in Gen 12:1-3:
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Abram would be made into a great nation (Israel). The nation would receive a particular blessing, but not an exclusive one. Abram is blessed so that he would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. At this point we are not told exactly how this blessing will be passed on from Abram to the nations, but the idea is clearly there. Abram was to be God’s representative on earth, and those who align themselves with him will be blessed in turn.
The mode of this blessing takes shape much later in Exod 19:5-6, as God is establishing the commissioning of the nation of Israel:
5 ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.
Earlier in Exodus, as Moses is arguing with Pharaoh for the freedom of the Israelites, God tells Moses that the sequence of events and plagues are happening “so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” (9:16)
Israel is established to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, in large part so that God’s name may be known throughout the world.
As a holy nation, they are to be separate and distinct from the world, worshipping God alone in righteousness. As priests, they are to lead others in worship of God and serve as a link and conduit between God and the nations.
Interestingly though, Israel is never explicitly instructed to go out on ‘mission’ to reach the nations. The only exception to this is Jonah, told to go and preach to Nineveh. Interestingly, the exception proves the rule. In all other cases, the nations are to come to them. There are many examples of non-Jews coming to worship God, and even becoming vital parts of the nation and of Jesus’ earthly ancestry, such as Rahab and Ruth.
Israel’s primary method of ‘mission’ was to be a light and beacon for the nations to see and come to. Their holiness and exclusive worship of God would draw people in, like moths to a flame. Thus, they were not called to be sent, but nor were they to be completely closed off and cold. They were to close themselves off to the nations, but only to the extent required to insulate themselves from being infected by pagan idolatrous worship. If outsiders came with a desire to follow the Lord, they were to be most welcome (cf. Isaiah 56:6-8). This was exemplified in the Temple – the central, physical location of worship, which would draw people inward. The Temple in Jesus’ day had a specific Court of the Gentiles – a place where the Gentiles could come and worship, though they were not allowed in the inner courts. Unfortunately, this had been turned into more of a commercial hub than a place for prayer and devotion.
Israel’s insularity and special calling were never meant to imply God only had concern for them or that they should be solely inward-focussed. Psalms 67, 96 and 117 all speak of the proclamation of God’s love and faithfulness to the Gentiles, that they may praise Him.
This has implications for how we view the mission of the Church today.
In some ways we are similar: we are to be holy in all our conduct, drawing people in as ‘salt and light’, remaining obviously distinct from the world in our thoughts, actions and speech. 1 Peter describes us as a chosen race and holy priesthood, that we may proclaim the excellencies of God, keeping our conduct honourable so that unbelieving Gentiles may see and glorify God (1 Pet 2:9-12).
But our mission is also different: the Temple is no longer a physical building in a single geographic location, but is the Church. And the Church is comprised of believers gathering anywhere and everywhere throughout the whole world. Just as we are scattered everywhere, without a central location, our mission is to continue scattering. We are to make disciples in every corner of the globe, to proclaim Christ where He has not yet been proclaimed or has been forgotten. To do this, we must go, and we must send.
Israel’s mission was ‘centripetal’ – a force pulling people inwards. The Church’s mission is ‘centrifugal’ – a force pushing outwards. Will you go? Will you send? Where can you start, and who can you start with? God’s name must be proclaimed among the nations who are perishing, for the salvation of their souls and the glory of God. But we must use our feet and go. Begin by crossing the street to your neighbour. And who knows where the Lord might lead you.
As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” – Rom 10:15
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