The Missionary Heart of God in the Old Testament

Taken from The Baptist Missionary Handbook. Copyright © 2017 Danny S. Jones

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All throughout Scripture, God is seen as a God who sends. “The Bible is the record of the missionary activity of God” (Terry, 10). The Father sent the Son, who sent the Spirit, who sent the church, who now sends missionaries throughout the world. The first mission-centric verse in Scripture in Genesis 1:1. To what extent? Revelation 14:6-7 explains,

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

According to Scripture, the everlasting gospel which is to be preached throughout eternity is not the gospel of salvation. The gospel of salvation is limited in scope to the dispensation of human history which shall end when the sin curse is finally and forever eradicated. However, from the beginning, and throughout all eternity there is and ever shall be proclaimed the “everlasting gospel” for all of creation to fear, give glory to, and worship the Creator of all things. (Revelation 14:6-7) The gospel of salvation which is now preached under the constraints of the sin curse is certainly included under the overarching scope of this gospel of creation, however it is only a part, one that shall end when the curse is lifted and there shall be no more sin nor yet any sinner to be saved.

Every page of God’s Word is replete with the idea of mission work. Dr. Nina Gunter states, “If you take missions out of the Bible, you won’t have anything left but the covers” (Culbertson, 2013). The Great Commission is to go into “all the world” (Matt. 28:19). This command of universal evangelism is significant because we serve a universal God. Howard Culbertson writes,

“…when God commands us to evangelize the whole world, He is not telling us to barge into places where He has little or no right to be. God loves the whole world precisely because He created it all. Therefore, shouldn’t we call those at ‘the ends of the earth’ to offer ‘glory and honor’ to the One who brought the universe into existence and who has reached out to all in the person of Jesus Christ?” (Culbertson, 2013)

Mission Through the Preaching of Noah

Tradition states that Noah spent 100 years building the ark, and preached judgment upon the world for those 100 years, yet everyone mocked him and no one was saved. The Bible does not plainly state that it took 100 years to build the ark, nor does it say that Noah was mocked as he brought the message of doom upon the earth during those years. However, II Peter 2:5 does say that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, explaining a most difficult passage in First Peter.

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Peter 3:18-20).

Christ, through Noah, preached righteousness to the people of the antediluvian era (Kaiser Jr. 6). Unfortunately, none but Noah and seven others in his immediate family were saved from destruction. Peter states that those who heard the message of righteousness by Christ through the preaching of Noah were now in prison, a euphemism for the bounds of hell. Nevertheless, Noah’s missionary efforts were not in vain. In contrast to Lot, who had been disobedient in leading his own family to the knowledge of righteousness, Noah’s wife, three sons and their wives were saved from destruction. Despite the fact the only eight souls were saved Noah’s missionary effort was most certainly successful. Noah was faithful to the Lord and obeyed His commandments. Success is mentioned but one time in Scripture, in Joshua 1:8

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Success in God’s eyes is not measured by the number of souls that are saved or baptisms that are performed, nor even churches that are planted. Success is following the Word of the Lord and obeying it. If a Christian does what he knows he ought to do according to God’s will, then that Christian is successful.

Abraham: The First Cross-Cultural Missionary

In the book of Genesis, God sends Abraham into a new land, from his home in Ur of the Chaldees to Canaan, making him the first cross-cultural missionary mentioned in the Scriptures. Through the obedience and testimony of Abraham, the one true God came to be known in this foreign land. God blessed Abraham’s obedience by giving him the promise that all nations through him would be blessed. Abraham is a perfect Biblical example of an Old Testament cross-cultural missionary. Abraham heard the call of God and was obedient to the Lord’s command. The call upon Abraham’s life was a call to mission work. He was to leave his home, travel to a foreign land, and there serve the Lord. Lastly “Abraham is the means, he is not the goal. It is through him that others will be blessed by blessing, but the purpose goes beyond Abraham: ‘all the peoples on earth will be blessed.’” (Moreau, 31)

Mission Through the Biblical Type of the Exodus

Moses was sent to Egypt, a Biblical type of the world, to rescue and lead God’s people into the promised land. There can be no question as to the symbolism here. Moses was sent on a mission by God, and therefore qualifies for the position of an Old Testament missionary. However, it was not just for the nation of Israel that Moses was sent. Exodus 9:16 is a key verse in understanding the full scope of the mission of Moses,

“And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.”

Here, as in many other verses in the Old Testament, it is evident that the mission of God, though centered around a chosen people, was a universal mission for all mankind. Not willing that any should perish even in the dispensation before the new covenant, we find in Exodus 12:38 that the sojourn of the nation of Israel out of Egypt includes those of other races (Kaiser Jr. 16).

“And a mixed multitude went up also with them.”

The nation of Israel, and more importantly, God Himself, was willing to accept all those who would follow the Lord.

Joshua: The Missionary Conqueror

Joshua, whose name in Hebrew is the same as the name Jesus, meaning “savior,” was the missionary conqueror (Kaiser Jr. 20). Over 400 years of longsuffering grace had been given to the nations of the Canaanites to repent and turn to the one true God while the nation of Israel was held in Egyptian bondage. The Canaanites were not without a witness to the truth. There was righteous Abraham, who, no doubt, was not secret in his worship of the Lord God. There was Melchezidek, the priest of the most high God who lived in Salem, later known as Jebus, and then Jerusalem (Kaiser Jr. 38). There was Isaac, the son of promise, who served the Lord and was counted faithful in Hebrews 11, sharing his faith with his two sons, Jacob and Esau. After four centuries, the people of Canaan had turned their backs upon God and served idols. God now raised up a man in Moses’ place to lead the nation of Israel into the promised land. Though it may be argued that the conquering of the land was in judgment, God also had an alternate purpose. Both the presence of the nation of Israel in the land and the miracles of the Lord performed in the taking of the land were to show God’s mighty hand to all the earth, so that they would know that Lord God of Israel was the one true God.

“For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever” (Joshua 4:23-24).

David: The Missionary King

King David has a special place among the pages of God’s Word. He also holds a special place in the missionary plan of the Lord (Kaiser Jr. 21). The Lord extended the promise of Abraham in a more specific way to David. It would be though his line, through his seed, that the Messiah would come. The Lord promised that through Christ the throne of David would endure forever. It was to David that God would order the building of the temple in Jerusalem, where all nations would one day come to worship. It was through the words of this royal psalter that the Lord’s missionary heart would be revealed. Even from an early age, God showed His power through David for the express purpose of a missionary message to the world:

“that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”

As God won the battle over Goliath through young David, he spoke openly that the salvation of the Lord did not come by the works of man, but by the power of God.

“Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

Later, David went on to rejoice, as he did many times in song,

“Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvelous works among all nations” (1 Chronicles 16:23-24).

David plainly declared not only his personal missionary heart, but that the very heart of God was that of a missionary God. All throughout the pages of the Old Testament, we find verse after verse of God’s missionary zeal to bring not only Israel, but the entire world to the saving knowledge of Lord. It is God’s desire to redeem His lost creation back to personal fellowship, back to righteousness, and back to holiness in Christ.

Mission Through the Testimony of Solomon

“Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name.” (1 Kings 8:41-43)

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, gained his spiritual insight from God Himself. It was with this knowledge that he called upon the Lord during the dedication of the temple of Jerusalem. During Solomon’s day, there were those who came from all over the world to worship the one true God, and did so at the newly constructed temple. By reading Solomon’s words, it is not too difficult to deduce the fact that there were many people of the gentile nations who called upon the name of the Lord. The people of Israel were to be a light to the Gentiles, and the temple and all its symbolism was a testament to both the presence and salvation of the Lord.

Mission Through the Symbolism of the Tabernacle

God gave very specific instructions for the building of the tabernacle. Galatians 3:24 explains that the symbolism found in the Old Testament was in every way to point to Christ and salvation through Him.

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

Each part of that divine plan for the tabernacle was significant and symbolic of God’s plan of salvation for not only the people of Israel, but the entire world (Levy 5). It is not the purpose of this work to go into an in-depth treatise of the symbolism of the tabernacle, however several main points will be considered. First, the Brazen Altar was a testament of the sacrifice for sin, pointing to the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Secondly, the Brazen Laver symbolizes the Word of God, whoso looking into it may not only see himself and his own condition, but will find that which washes clean. The Golden Lampstand was to light the holy place of the tabernacle, symbolic of Him who not only brings light, but is the true light of the world, Jesus Christ. John states in his gospel in John 1:9 that,

“That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

The Table of Shewbread is most certainly a symbol pointing to Jesus, who taught His disciples that He was the Bread of Life. John 6:51 states,

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

The Altar of Incense represented prayer and intercession, as the burning savor of incense rose up, so too would the prayers of the saints to the Lord. The Veil of the Temple, though beautiful in its handiwork, represented a terrible fact of the sin curse: that mankind was separated from God by their sin. However, through the mediatorial sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the veil was not only symbolically removed, but actually ripped in two from top to bottom. Matthew 27:51 states,

“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.”

Within the Holy of Holies lay the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. The Ark of the Covenant was representative of the presence of God with mankind. As God’s glory rested upon the ark in the Old Testament, so too did Emmanuel, “God with us” come to show His presence with mankind in the New Testament. Even still today, the Holy Spirit of God dwells in the believer. First Corinthians 3:16 states,

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

The final item of the Tabernacle, the Mercy Seat is a symbol of the propitiation of Jesus Christ.

“The cover of the ark on which rested the cloud or visible symbol of the divine presence. It was called Mercy Seat, or propitiatory from ἱλαστήριον hilastērion (Strong’s G2435), because it was this which was sprinkled over with the blood of atonement or propitiation, and because it was from this place, on which the symbol of the deity rested, that God manifested himself as propitious to sinners. The blood of the atonement was that through or by means of which he declared his mercy to the guilty” (Barnes, p.188).

The shed blood of Jesus Christ provides the atonement for sin. David Levy writes, “In the New Testament, propitiation has the idea of satisfying the righteous demands of a holy God, making it possible for the removal of sin that stands between God and mankind” (Levy 94).

Psalms: The Missionary Hymnbook

The book of Psalms is the inspired hymnal of the believer. The Psalms could also be called a missionary hymnal, as numerous verses declare the glory of God to the heathen (Kaiser Jr. 27 ff). Of the multitude of verses in the Psalms about reaching the world, the following are considered here: Psalm 18:49 is quoted by Paul in Romans 15:9 as an Old Testament proof that the Lord extended His call to salvation to the Gentiles,

“Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.”

Romans chapter 15 provides a Biblical exposition of Old Testament mission work to the Gentiles. The twenty-second Psalm is both Messianic and prophetic in nature. It was the first verse of Psalm 22 that Christ quoted upon the cross when He exclaimed, “My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken me?” Toward the end of the Psalm, the words, “the great congregation” are found.

“My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.” (Psalm 22:25-28)

This “great congregation” is referring to the congregation of the righteous who worship the Lord. Within this congregation is not only the tribes of Israel, nor is it confined to the children of Abraham, but to “all the kindreds of the nations.” David here declares that God is not merely God of the nation of Israel, but His kingdom is universal in nature. The Lord is both God and King over all nations.

Also, it is found in Psalm 86:9 that

“All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.”

The Lord’s universal governorship is also here declared to be the Maker of all nations, and because the Lord made all nations of men upon the earth, it is the eventual destiny of those nations to return to the Lord, worship the Lord, and glorify the Lord. Of course, not all men will turn to God. Yet this verse which is missionary at heart is also a prophetic vision of the future when Christ will reign supreme upon the earth. In that day, all nations will come to worship Him and glorify His name.

Psalm 96:1-3 is a joyful commandment to all mankind to not only praise God, but to be a witness into all the earth. These verses might very well be the Old Testament version of the Great Commission.

“O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.”

Israel had failed greatly in their missionary effort to reach the gentile nations for God. However, the command to Israel to reach the world was clearly given, again and again. Moreau states, “In Exodus 19:4-6 God tells Moses to announce to Israel that because he himself brought Israel out of Egypt, they will be his special possession, his kingdom of priests, his holy nation. By designating them as his ‘special possession’ God shows that he places a high value on people. As his ‘kingly priests,’ ‘the whole nation was to function on behalf of the kingdom of God in a mediatorial role in relation to the nations’ (Kaiser 13). As a ‘holy nation,’ they were wholly God’s, set apart for his service, not for their own ends” (Moreau, 36).

In the New Testament, a great mystery was revealed. That mystery was of God’s plan for His church, not of salvation. The redemptive plan of God was clearly revealed in the Old Testament. The plan of redemption has always been the same, from the time of Adam until today. From the first symbolic sacrifice until the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross of Calvary, the message of salvation is this: God saves by sacrifice. God used Israel, both through the mighty works performed in the sight of the nations and through the sacrificial symbolism of the temple service, to be an example to the rest of the world of the salvation of the Lord. Psalm 98:2-3 states that the salvation of the Lord was never hidden. It has always been clearly shown throughout every corner of the earth.

“The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

Truly, these passages and many others show that the book of Psalms is a missionary hymn book, declaring God’s redemptive plan not only to the nation of Israel, but to the ends of the world.

Jonah: The Reluctant Missionary

God sent Jonah to preach to the sworn enemies of Israel. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. This empire would later invade, pillage, and take captive the northern tribes of Israel. Jonah was called, yet was reluctant to go. Nineveh was approximately 550 miles northeast of Samaria on the Tigris River, in what is now modern-day Mosul, Iraq. Jonah instead traveled as far in the opposite direction as he knew to go. Tarshish was a city in the furthest reaches of the Mediterranean, probably on the Iberian Peninsula. The narrative of Jonah is much more than the story of a disobedient missionary. It is an account of the love and mercy of God to a gentile nation, who through the preaching of the Word of God, came to repentance (Kaiser Jr. 65 ff). Many lessons can be learned in the book of Jonah, not the least of which is the sovereignty of God in directing the course of the one He has sent, even through abject disobedience. Many missionaries today suffer from an aliment called the “Jonah syndrome,” in which they, through unpleasant life events and cultural stress, become bitter, jaded, angry, and even experience hatred towards the very people that God has sent them to witness to. This attitude often occurs in both new and veteran missionaries. Jonah is seen in all his humanity as a testament to what God can do and what a missionary should not do.

Israel: The Light to the Gentile Nations

Old Testament Scripture declares repeatedly that Israel was God’s chosen nation to bring light and salvation to the world (Kaiser Jr. 51 ff). The commands and promises of the Lord that attest to this fact are both clear and explicit. There may be no other verse that is clearer than that of Isaiah 49:6 which states,

“And he said, It is a light 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.”

Truly, the Lord Jesus Christ did come of the seed and line of Israel, and He was the true light of the world. At the same time, the missionary zeal and command of the Lord for Israel to be His witness throughout the pages of the Old Testament is striking when these passages are studied in the light of a theology of mission. God is a God of mission. God is a God with a mission heart, and mission is at the heart of His plan for the world.