For those who are not Israel

WHAT ABOUT GENTILES IN THE THEOCRATIC IDEAL?¹

pdf (68 pages)

Dr. Paul Manuel—2005

The spotlight of scripture and of the Theocratic Ideal is on the nation of Israel.² Most people, indeed, most believers today are not actively part of Israel, which raises an important question about their future role: How does the Church fit into the Theocratic Ideal? Thankfully, for those of us who are not Israel, God answers this and other, related questions in His word. In a general way...

I. God has demonstrated His goodness to gentiles.³

A. He provides for their physical needs.

1. God gives them authority.

Gen 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." ...28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

2. God gives them territory.⁴

Deut 2:5 do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, even [as little as] a footstep because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.... 9 ...Do not harass Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.

Cf. Acts 17:26b [God] determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

3. God gives them safety.⁵

Gen 9:8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying... 11 "I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth." ...19 These three [were] the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.

B. He provides for their spiritual needs.

1. God promises them salvation.⁶

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

2. God gives them salvation.⁷

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

The Point: God is, indeed, concerned not only for His people Israel but also for gentiles, and He has demonstrated that concern by providing their physical and spiritual needs.

II. God has revealed Himself to gentiles.

To hold the nations accountable in the Theocratic Ideal,⁸ God has provided revelation about Himself and about their responsibility to Him.⁹ God has revealed four divine characteristics.

A. He has provided revelation (i.e., physical evidence) about His existence.¹⁰

1. To all, God gives revelation through creation.

Ps 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. 4a Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world.

Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

2. To Pharaoh, God gave revelation through miracles.

Exod 5:2 But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go."

Exod 7:17 'Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.

3. To Philistines, God gave revelation through judgment.

I Sam 5:7 When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god." ...11 They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill its and our people." For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

B. He has provided revelation about His sovereignty.¹¹

1. To Pharaoh, God gave revelation through miracle.

Exod 9:29 Moses said to him, "As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that the earth is the LORD's.

2. To Nebuchadnezzar, God gave revelation through dreams.

Dan 2:47 The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery."

Dan 4:17 "This sentence is by the decree of the [angelic] watchers And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And bestows it on whom He wishes And sets over it the lowliest of men."

3. To Babylonians, God gave revelation through Nebuchadnezzar.

Dan 4:2 "It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me.... 35 "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And [among] the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?'

C. He has provided revelation about His expectations (i.e., man's accountability).¹²

1. To Noah, God gave revelation about diet and murder.¹³

Gen 9:4 "Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, [that is], its blood. 5 "Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from [every] man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. 6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

2. To Job's three friends, God gave revelation about sin and forgiveness.

Job 42:7 t came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. 8 "Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you [according to your] folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has."

3. To Pharaoh, God gave revelation about sin through miracles.

Exod 9:27 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time; the LORD is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28 "Make supplication to the LORD, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail—, and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."

Exod 10:16 Then Pharaoh hurriedly called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17 "Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and make supplication to the LORD your God, that He would only remove this death from me."

For a pdf including the entire study with Bibliography and Endnotes (68 pages) see here.