Israel, the people of God, and the nations

(Proquest Information and Learning: Foreign text omitted)

I. THE UNIVERSAL CONTEXT FOR ISRAEL'S STORY

Genesis 1 begins with the sentence: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." God the Creator has created the entire world (Gen 1), he created mankind (Gen 2). The book of Genesis, which is read by Israel as God's revelation about his creation, shows again and again that God and his purposes are not limited by the boundaries of Israel: God's being and God's purposes are relevant for the entire world and for all human beings. YHWH is the Lord of world history and the Lord of human history. The book of Genesis implies that Israel's relationship to her God must be understood in this general, universal context. The account of God's revelation as Creator depicts YHWH as God who blesses man. When God blessed and hallowed the seventh day, he expressed the purpose of man's existence: as the days of the week proceed towards the goal of the seventh day, so man and woman are to serve their Creator in worship, trust, and obedience.

This universal perspective surfaces repeatedly in the history, literature, and liturgy of Israel: in the history of Abraham and his descendants who are to be a blessing for all nations; in the psalms in which all nations and kings are called upon to praise YHWH; in prophecies directed to nations who are sometimes used by God as his instruments; in prophecies about a time when nations will find salvation in YHWH; and in prophecies of a new heaven and a new earth. The parallels between Israel's language and literature and the languages and cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia are a testimony of the international horizon of Israel.2

The universal dimension of Israel's faith is expressed in Gen 12:2-3, a significant text of the book of Genesis (cf. 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14). We note that the focus of Gen 12:1-3 is the unique position which YHWH accords Abraham, i.e. Israel: the first recipients of God's assurance of his blessing for the families of the earth are Abraham and his descendants. The blessing for the nations becomes a reality in Abraham's blessing and thus underlines his unique position.3 The parallel promises in Gen 18:18 and 28:14 seem to interpret the meaning of Gen 12:3 in terms of Israel's uniqueness: the nations of the earth shall be blessed "in Abraham" who shall become "a great and mighty nation" and whose offspring shall be "like the dust of the earth," spreading abroad "to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south." Israel's "story" clearly incorporates a universal dimension, as her identity is intimately linked with Abraham's call and the divine promise of blessing which is extended to "all the families of the earth." But Gen 12:3 does not convey "a high and lofty missionary teaching."4

Israel's liturgy consistently reflects this universal dimension. (1) The nations are challenged to praise YHWH (Pss 47:2; 66:8; 96:7; 117:1), to serve him (72:11; 102:23), and to fear him (102:16). (2) The expectation that the nations will worship YHWH is expressed both with regard to the present (Ps 67:2-8) and the future (72:17; 86:9; 102:16, 23). (3) The person praying intends to worship YHWH in the midst of the nations (18:50; 57:10; 108:4), and Israel is called upon to proclaim among the nations YHWH's deeds (9:12; 96:3; 105:1) and kingship (96:10). (5) Some psalms look forward to a time when the nations will belong to Israel (2:8; 111:6). Similarly, Solomon, in his great prayer in the Temple, refers to the foreigner who "comes from a distant Land because of your name" and because he has heard of the mighty deeds of Israel's God (1 Kgs 8:41-42).

II. ISRAEL'S ENCOUNTER WITH THE CANAANITE NATIONS AS A HOSTILE TAKEOVER

The universal perspective of Israel's identity is, of course, linked with Israel's allegiance to YHWH, the one and only true God. Texts which Israel recites daily in the shema speak of God's uniqueness: "Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone" (Deut 6:4; cf. Exod 20:3). The conviction that God is One implies not only the unity and the continuity of God's history with his people, or the limitation of true worship to the Tabernacle and the Temple, but also the "nothingness" of the gods of the nations (Isa 43:10; 44:6), and the focus of universal salvation on Israel: when pagans find salvation, they join Israel (cf. Naaman), and when pagan nations find salvation, they will come to Zion (cf. Isa 40-66). The conviction that God is One implies God's judgment of the nations which is mentioned not only in the legal (e.g. Lev 18:24-25) and prophetic literature (Is 30:27-28) but also in Israel's liturgy (e.g. Ps 2:9; 9:19-20).

God's judgment of the nations found historical expression in the Exodus. God promised Israel: "For I will cast out nations before you" (Exod 34:24; cf. Lev 18:24). He gave to Israel the command to "utterly destroy" the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (Deut 7:1-2). The account of the conquest of the promised land narrates the execution of this command (cf. Josh 3:9-10; 11:1-11).