Beyond merely influencing other nations for good, Israel was promised that they would be a channel through whom the blessings of God would flow to other nations (Gen. 12.2). This is the fourth facet of the jewel of God’s promise.

In its fullest form, this blessing would entail bringing other nations into the covenant of God and citizenship with His people. The Apostles understood this promise, long awaited and often restated (cf. Hag. 2.6-9) finally to be realized in their own day (cf. Acts 15.14-21).

This promise can be difficult to reconcile with God’s command that His people remain completely separate from the nations around them – not intermarrying with them and not adopting any of their laws, customs, or ways (Lev. 20.26). At the same time, God’s people were to welcome sojourners within their midst and to show them the love that God had for them, which is the love He has for His own people (Ex. 22.21; 23.9; Lev. 19.33, 34).

Ultimately, as I mentioned, God’s covenant blessings would come to the nations through the preaching of the Gospel. It is rather strange that the Gospel going to Gentiles seems to have created so much confusion among the first believers. But this is only because, under the oppression of Rome, Jews in the first century seem to have lost sight of God’s larger covenantal plan to bless the nations. Only when the leaders of the New Covenant community came together in the Spirit to consider this issue, were they able to recover this original promise of God’s Covenant and to accelerate the mission among non-Jews (Acts 15.12-22).

Yet even in the Old Testament, obedience to God’s Law is connected to the nations being drawn to God and to His covenant and Law (Mic. 4.1-5). We cannot presume to claim or seek this promise without, at the same time, walking in the righteousness of Jesus Christ according to His Law. The promise of being a blessing to the nations, and the vision of worldwide awakening which many today diligently pursue, continue to be linked to the character of our lives and the holiness others observe in us.

Act: The Lord Jesus has sent you, as He Himself was sent, into a Personal Mission Field(Jn. 20.21). What is your approach to bringing the blessings of the Lord to the people there? Share your thoughts about this with a church leader.

T. M. Moore

The book of Ecclesiastes is a crucial resource for understanding the Biblical worldview against the backdrop of our secular age. Follow T. M.’s studies in Ecclesiastes by downloading the free, weekly studies available in our Scriptorium Resources page at The Fellowship of Ailbe. Click hereto see the weekly studies available thus far.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.