II

THE MISSIONARY IDEA IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed.-GAL. 3: 8.

HE evangelization of the world was in the purpose of God from the beginning; it was not an afterthought. He made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth. He dealt bountifully with all that they might feel after Him and find Him. The gospel was intended for and adapted to every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. The accomplishment of this gracious intention is the one far-off, divine event to which the whole creation moves. It is the consummation and crown of all God's dealings with the race. When the foundations of the earth were laid, the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. When the work of redemption shall be finished, all created intelligences shall ascribe blessing and honour and glory and dominion forever and ever to Him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb. God's thought respecting the evangelization of the world has a very large and prominent place in the Scriptures. It is the spinal column, so to speak, and every other part of the entire system of revelation is connected with, and depends upon, it. Let us trace this thought in the Old Testament.

Abram was called to leave his country and kindred and home. He had the promise that he should be the father of a great nation; his name should be great; he should be blessed and be a blessing; and in him all the families of the earth should be

blessed (Gen. 12: 1-3). That promise marked an epoch in human history, as the signing of the Great Charter at Runnymede marked an epoch in English history, as the signing of the Declaration of Independence marked an epoch in American history. After the trial of his faith the promise was repeated. God said, "By Myself have I sworn, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son; that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 22: 17-18). The same promise was made to Isaac. The Lord said to him, "Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land I shall tell thee of; sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and bless thee, and unto thy seed I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I sware unto Abrabam thy father; and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven; and I will give unto thy seed all these lands; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed " (Gen. 26: 2-4). On the way to Haran Jacob lay down to sleep, and saw a ladder whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended upon it. Above it the Lord stood and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread forth to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 28: 12-14). The blessing promised to Abraham, the friend of God, descended through Isaac and not through Ishmael who was a wild-ass among men; and through Jacob, and not through Esau, who was a profane man and who sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. To each of these patriarchs it is said, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Each of the three was a channel through which divinest blessings flowed to the

whole creation. In blessing his sons Jacob said, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah nor the ruler's staff from between his feet until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the obedience of the peoples be" (Gen. 49: 10). To Moses God said, "As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord" (Num. 14: 21). The promise is confirmed with an oath, that we might have assurance made doubly sure. Because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself. The Most High entered into covenant relations with Abraham and his seed. He constituted them the depositaries of His revealed will; He selected them as His agents to communicate the blessings of redemption to the whole world. "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined."

Thus we read, “Ask

We find this thought in the Psalms. of Me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession " (Ps. 2:8). Kings and rulers may oppose; their opposition shall not prevail. Again, "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the kindred of the nations shall worship before Thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's and He is the ruler among the nations" (Ps. 22: 27, 28). Again, "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations" (Ps. 67: 1-2). The covenant people shall be blessed and through them all the end of the earth shall be led to fear Him. Again, "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him, and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him (Ps. 72: 8-11). His reign shall be world-wide, and it shall endure forever and forevermore. All nations shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him happy. Once more, "All nations whom Thou

hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord, and they shall glorify Thy name. For Thou art great, and doest wondrous things; Thou art God alone" (Ps. 86: 9, 10). Among the gods of the nations there was none like to Jehovah, neither were there any works like unto His works. Blessed be His glorious name forever; and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. In his dedicatory prayer Solomon used similar language. "Moreover concerning the stranger, that is not of Thy people Israel, when he shall come from Thy far country for Thy great name's sake, and Thy mighty hand, and Thy stretched out arm; when they shall come and pray towards this house; then hear Thou from heaven, even from Thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to Thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name, and fear Thee, as doth Thy people Israel" (2 Chron. 6: 32, 33).

Thus

The prophets spoke of God's world-wide purpose. Isaiah said: "And it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it. And many nations shall go and say, Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Is. 2: 2, 3). The way of a man is not in himself; it is not in a man that walks to direct his steps. Realizing this, all nations shall seek divine guidance. God shall teach them of

His ways, and they shall walk in His paths. This same prophet said, " And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto Him shall the nations seek, and His resting place shall be glorious" (Is. II: 10). Christ was to be as a banner under which the nations should rally. The spirit of the Lord should be upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit

of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins. Again, "In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; for that the Lord of hosts has blessed them saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance'"' (Is. 19:25). The blessing of Abraham was not to be confined to one people. For good reasons, Israel dwelt alone for a time, but no Chinese wall shut that nation from all other nations. God is the Father of all, and He desires the salvation of all. He says, "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else. By Myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear (Is. 45: 22, 23). There were gods many and lords many. There were gods of wood and stone and silver. But Jehovah said to the makers and to the worshippers, "I am a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside Me." Again, "It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth" (Is. 49: 6). That was to be the work of His chosen people. Their first concern was to give the light to them that sit in darkness and to guide their feet into the way of peace. When they sinned themselves, they were carried away into captivity; but God did not forget them. For their sakes He made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; He caused all the earth to see His salvation of them. Because of His discipline and deliverance, kings shall see and arise; princes and they shall worship. We read again, "Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory