All Nations, Under God

Psalm 66 & 67

The other day my son Aiden was asking about where Jesus lived on our planet. I told him about Israel and then he wanted to see it on a world map. I found it, but to try to point it out to him was difficult, seeing as it could have been covered by half of a Cheerio. Israel is so tiny- about 8,500 square miles, which makes it smaller than every state except Connecticut, Maryland and Rhode Island.

That's what makes God's choice of Israel so odd to people, both then and now. That of all nations, God would choose this little slice of land, one that has been continually surrounded by much larger and stronger and more prosperous nations since its beginning. So when you read the language of Psalms 66 & 67 it is mind boggling that a person from tiny Israel would speak these "global" words:

"All the earth will shout. All the earth will bow down. All mankind benefits directly from God's works. All peoples are to praise God. Gods ways will be known all over the earth and His salvation among all nations. The nations will be glad because He is the Ruler and Guide of all of them. The ends of the earth will fear Him."

Contrary to popular belief, the Old Testament, which focuses so much around the Jewish people and their land, is a book full of God's plan for the entire world. Consider God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that though him "all peoples will be blessed." Look at Exodus 19:5-6 and see how Israel is to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" - the means that God uses to reach the entire world. God's heart is always bigger than our locality or region or state or nation!

I am grateful to God for His commitment to the entire planet. He calls us to "go and make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:19)" because He is already committed to have people "from every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev. 7:9)" as part of His Kingdom.

Remember that the Gospel is in fact good news. All over the world, people are in desperate need of its message: whether it is the Hindu who is being crushed by the caste system or the animist who lives in dread of the spirit world or the Atheist who has no reason for any hope at all or the Muslim who can never measure up to what he is supposed to believe or to the nominal "Christian" who's everyday life is devoid of Christ. All humanity is in bondage to sin, and Christ alone can set us free. The best news that a human being can know is Jesus.

Despite its humble beginnings, Israel is God's chosen nation. Despite His humble beginnings, Jesus Christ is God's chosen Messiah. And despite our humble beginnings, the Gospel that God has entrusted us is the Greatest News the world could every hear. Make His message known!