The Old Testament on the Call of the Gentiles
Rev. William G. Most
Old Testament On Call of Gentiles
Isaiah 2.2-4: "In days to come the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. (3)Many peoples shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (4)He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
Isaiah 25:6-7: "On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. (7)And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all nations; he will swallow up death forever."
Isaiah 42:6: "I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations...."
Isaiah 60:1-22: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. (2)For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. (3)Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
(4)"Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses arms. (5)Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. (6)A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD. (7)All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall be acceptable on my altar, and I will glorify my glorious house.
(8)"Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? (9)For the coastlands shall wait for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from far away, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. (10)Foreigners shall build up your walls, and kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you down, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. (11)Your gates shall always be open; day and night they shall not be shut, so that the nations shall bring you their wealth, with their kings led in procession. (12)For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. (13)The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will glorify where my feet rest. (14)The descendants of those who oppressed you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. (15)Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. (16)You shall suck the milk of nations, you shall suck the breasts of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
(17)"Instead of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will appoint Peace as your overseer and Righteousness as your taskmaster. (18)Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. (19)The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. (20)Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. (21)Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever. They are the shoot that I planted, the work of my hands, so that I might be glorified. (22)The least of them shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will accomplish it quickly."
Jonah 4:10-11: "Then the LORD said, "You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. (11)And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?"
Tobit 14:5-6: "God will bring them back into the land of Israel; and they will rebuild the temple of God, but not like the first one until the period when the times of fulfillment shall come. After this they all will return from their exile and will rebuild Jerusalem in splendor; and in it the temple of God will be rebuilt, just as the prophets of Israel have said concerning it. (6)Then the nations in the whole world will all be converted and worship God in truth. They will all abandon their idols..." NRSV
