9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the
things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.
Teach them to your children and to their children after them. 10 Remember the
day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble
the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as
long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." 11 You came
near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very
heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the LORD spoke to you out
of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a
voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he
commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the
LORD directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to
follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. (NIV)
taken from www.biblegateway.com
In the Old Testament, God commanded Moses to teach the Israelites about his laws and promises. They in turn were expected to teach these things to their children and their children's children. People were expected to read, memorize, and obey a long list of rules and regulations so that they might see the fulfillment of promises God had made to their forefathers.
I was unable to find any reference to a time in the Old Testament where God told His chosen people to go out and preach or teach those in surrounding communities about His promises and laws. The message was for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone.
There were times when others chose to become Jewish -- Ruth had been a Moabite who converted to Judaism so that she could live with her mother-in-law. She was received by the community (or at least by Boaz) as one of them.
But when Jesus came, He preached to anyone who would listen. There are several examples of times when He healed Gentiles, showing us that his message was for all -- Hebrew or not. As He ascended to Heaven, He told the followers to be his witnesses to Judea and Samaria (Hebrew communities) and to the ends of the earth. This fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah about the Savior:
Isaiah 49:6 "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the
tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you
a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the
earth."
It really isn't fair. The Hebrews struggled for years to obey complex laws about what to eat, what to wear, even how to clean their homes. Millions of cute little lambs and doves were offered as sacrifices to God, showing the failure of His people to follow the rules. No matter what they did, they seemed unable to live up to His expectations.
And then we come along, the Gentiles. All we have to do is to believe, repent, and be baptized! After Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, He opened up the gates of Heaven to anyone and everyone. If we stick closely to Him, He will give us daily instructions that will result in a life that is full of peace and joy. This is the amazing Good News He wants us to share with the world.
Who will you tell today?
No comments:
Post a Comment