God Builds a Missionary Nation

Joseph Among the Nations

Joseph Among the Nations

With Joseph’s story the focus is on the twelve brothers who will become the twelve tribes of Israel.

Also the focus is on the development of the population of Israel under Joseph’s protection in Egypt.

God’s sovereignty worked in spite of some very negative experiences in the family of Jacob to accomplish His purpose for the development of the future political nation of Israel

The following are highlights of God’s people with foreign nations and the fulfillment of the promise to make a great nation from Abram’s seed.

1. Some of the greatest Jewish Heroes developed in the context of cross-cultural living and ministry.

Joseph is forced into a bi-cultural situation. Joseph is sold to foreign traders, the Ishmaelites, by his brothers (37: 26, 27). These illegitimate sons of Abram had by now become a separate people who were willing to sell a Jew into slavery

2. Racial diversity even in the chosen tribe of the Messiah reveals God’s universal intentions. Judah, the tribe of the promise, marries a

Canaanite woman. Remember who Judah would become, i.e. the

bearer of the Promise (tribe of Judah).Even at this early stage the ancestry of the

future Messiah is mixed with non-Jews (38:2). This is another reminder to us that Biblical

religion is not a racial faith. God is seeking to reach all races.

3. God prepared a messenger to go to a resistant nation. Joseph goes to Egypt (39:1)

Egypt had become the most developed and influential nation of the day. All of their neighbors would become debtor nations to them due to the famine.

This superpower would receive a witness through Joseph as their second in command.

4. God is keeping His promise to build Abraham into a great population

The 12 tribes become a great people group (46:3). In order to make a political nation you must have a great number of people.

. Missio Dei:

as revealed in Exodus of Israel

1. The Exodus has a profound significance for mission.

a. Yahweh’s liberation of Israel from bondage demonstrates to the world the His liberating and saving power for all people of all nations.

Ex 9:16 "But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.

Ex 11:19 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt."

Rom. 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH."

The Exodus has a profound significance for mission-(cont.)

The basic truth of the exodus is that God does not remove people from difficult circumstances but instead meets them in their trials to demonstrate who He is. He desires that all may know Him as their deliver; as the one who sets people free to worship and serve Him (Steyne 106).

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacobb. Israel was in a situation (albeit bondage) where

they could give testimony to the character and power of Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…in contrast to the full array of capricious gods of Egypt.

How does Yahweh differ from the gods of the Egyptians?

intervenes in the affairs of man (revelation at burning bush Ex 3:13-16

never leaves His people Ex 33:14-17 And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob God of promise and fulfillment Num 23:19 "God is

not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good ?

Not a local tribal deity but a God of the nations Israel was the bearer of God’s name to the

nations. Everything they did bore witness to the power of God – their history, victories, defeats, blessings, curses, sufferings, deliverances – the entire history of Israel.

The God of Israelc. Israel would keep alive in their collective

memories, through celebration and liturgy, this time of new beginnings provide for by Yahweh.

Saw themselves as a distinct people chosen by God. In captivity for 400 years maintained their identity

(Deut 26:18-19) "The LORD has today declared you to be His people , a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made , for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken."

The God of Israel Distinctive Covenantal Relationship – God

made a covenant with them, not vice versa. Pagan gods rose and fell with the success of the people who worshiped them. Authority and reign of God does not depend on power and position of the Israelites.

Israel’s public confession of God’s deliverance: Ex 15:1-21 “Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, "I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.

The God of Israel …” To this day the Passover is remembered

in Jewish families. “In brief, Israel’s statement of faith reflected a God who would intervene when circumstances revealed mankind’s total helplessness and change seemed impossible. He could deliver even when opposed by all the powers of hell. (Steyne 111). God does not depend upon the wisdom or intellect of people to do his work, rather He takes the simple, humble and defenseless to show the magnitude of His glory.

Moses God’s Agent of Change

2. The Calling of Moses God’s Agent of Change in the Context of Israel in Egypt.

What kind of man is Moses? The call of Moses is very similar to the

testimony of many modern missionaries and how God called them

God Calls Moses to witness in a foreign land The Commission (Ex. 3:14): Moses was called to cross

cultural action to deliver those described as slaves or prisoners. Moses had grown up in the Egyptian culture and language, so that he was a readily equipped bicultural messenger.

The Challenge (5:1-2): Moses was faced with the task of standing up to the foreign king and testifying and demonstrating the power of the God Yaweh.

The Channel (7:12): Moses was to lead Israel to be a model for God’s glory among the nations in the surrounding Sinai wilderness.

God Calls Moses (cont.) The Confrontation (7:12): Moses was equipped

with promises of power demonstrations of God’s superior power that he should use to confront Pharoh and the Egyptian nation with the truth of who Yahweh is. Moses received the sign of the staff-snake and the leprous hand to authenticate God’s presence with him. He was instrumental in effecting ten power encounters to reveal Yahweh’s superiority. A power encounter is an evangelistic use of the power of God a a proof of the truth and superiority of God’s word.

The Confrontation The ten demonstrations of God’s power to

Pharaoh were miracles concerning: Blood, Frogs, Gnats, Flies, Livestock, Boils, Hail, Locusts, Darkness, and the Firstborn. The climax of this grand display of God’s reality is the final battle at the Red Sea crossing and the subsequent drowning of the Egyptian army. These terrible events on the number one nation of that contemporary world would have world-wide effects in drawing attention to Israel’s God.

Plagues as Judgment on the Gods of Egypt

While the correlation between plagues and Egyptian deities is incomplete and in some cases ambiguous, there are enough parallels to suggest that on at least some level the plagues of Yahweh were intended to demonstrate his superiority over Egyptian gods

Plague Egyptian Deity targeted 1. Nile to blood- Khnum--creator of water and life,

Hapi--Nile god, Osiris--the Nile was his bloodstream

2. Frogs- Heket--goddess of childbirth whose symbol was the frog

3. Gnats- Seth- earth god 4. Flies- Beelzebub- prince of the air

Plagues as Judgment on the Gods of Egypt (cont)

5. Cattle disease- Hathor--mother and sky goddess whose symbol was the cow, Apis--bull god

6. Boils- thought to represent punishment of sins, medical shamans magic could not stop it.

7. Hail- Seth--god of wind and storm, weather shamans could not control what God controlled.

8. Locusts- Isis-goddess of life, Min--goddess of fertility and vegetation, protector of crops

9. Darkness- Amon- Re, Atum, Horus--sun deities 10. Death of firstborn- Osiris--judge of the dead and

patron deity of the pharaoh

Moses as the Missionary Model:The preparation of Moses for the missional task.(1) Called – at the burning bush, Ex 3:4 “When the

LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses !" And he said, "Here I am."

(2) Commissioned, Ex 3:10 “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people , the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."

(3) Equipped – Ex 3:11-22 “But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt ?"

The identification of Moses for the missional task.(1) with the royal court (by his own experiences.)(2) with the oppressed (his own people.)

3. The Evangelistic Tone of the ExodusSummary of the exodus deliverance

a) salvation was solely an act of God. He took the initiative, He alone delivered.

b) Man has a part. Moses was his prophet but deliverance was in the name of the Lord God.

c) Israel responded to God’s offer of deliverance in faith.

d) Faith is demonstrated through acting on God’s word. The lamb had to be slaughtered and the blood applied to the doorpost.

So “that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”4. Yahweh’s words through Moses to

Pharaoh - Exodus 9:13-165. Mosaic Covenant - Exodus 19:3-6a. Deliverance (salvation) is an act of God’s

grace. vs 4 God speaks of their deliverance through His grace…

b. God’s strategy was to structure a model people to demonstrate His Lordship over all creation.

c. Israel, a representative people

Mosaic Covenant (1) They were to be God’s “treasured possession.” (a) the idea of God’s jewels, (b) they can be moved around

and dispersed as He pleases. (c) Function to reveal God’s glory to the nations

(2) They were to be a “kingdom of priests.”...kings and priests or “royal priests to God.” – Specific responsibilities

(a) Function as mediator to the nations, (b) possession of the land as tenants, not owners.- stewards of God’s possessions, (c) treatment of people, cf. Deut 10:17-19

(3) They were to be “holy nation.” – Distinctive lifestyle

(a) Set apart wholly for God, (b) Function of being separate (unique) for service to the nations.

H. Mission Dei as revealed in the Historical Books1. The Covenant in the crossing the Jordan

River (Joshua 4:23,24) a. God displays His power to the nations through

Israel.2. Calling and Covenant of David a. Conflict with Goliath – I Sam. 17:46-47 b. Covenant with David - II Samuel 7 (I Chronicles

17 & Psalms 89)3. The welcoming of aliens (proselytes) – I

Kings 8:41-43 (Solomon’s prayer)

H. Mission Dei as revealed in the Historical Books-(cont.)

a. There are examples of “Gentiles” who benefited from the outreach of the grace of God:Melchizadek, Canaanite King of SalemJethro, the Midianate priest and father-in-law of

Moses.Balaam, from land of BeorRahab, the Canaanite prostitute.Ruth, the MoabiteNaaman, the Syrian military commander

b. Israel had a responsibility to the non-Israelite as well as incorporate aliens into their community.

The National Religious System is Established as a State Religion

Law- norms of what is right or wrong (20:1-7) Festivals: The holy days and feast as

Passover, Unleavened Bread, Harvest, Ingathering, and Day of Atonement (23:14, 26).

Book of the Covenant: Religious Writings Five Books of Moses known as Torah (24:7) Tabernacle: Traveling symbolic place of

Worship (25:8)

The National Religious System is Established as a State Religion

Ark: Sacred Articles- serve as object lesson, the wash basin, the lamp stand, anointing oil

Altars- places where man would meet God- settling of accounts between man and God.

Priest’s Garments: Those who served had distinctive uniforms- different from what others wore.

Priest’s Initiation/Consecration: holy men set apart before God and before the people. 29:1

The National Cultural System was revealed by God- Leviticus

God gave them a divinely revealed culture, i.e. rules governing behavior patterns that would be passed on within their society

Culture- the learned and shared attitudes values and behavior of a people

God had Moses write them down- cultural boundaries given by God.

Samples of God’s Cultural Rules Lev. 11- Diet: What was clean and unlean Lev. 12-15 Health Regulations to follow. Lev. 18- Sexual Guidelines and Rules Lev. 17:20- Social Guidelines

Religion is part of culture, but for his priestly people God wanted all of their behaviors to reflect the distinctiveness of this people, not just the religion.

There is travail and birth of this Nation in the Wilderness Wanderings

These are so of the low points of this period: 430 years of Slavery Aaron’s Golden Calf, grumbling about food,

the dessert rebellion, etc. 40 years wandering and the dying off of the

rebel generationWhat was God doing? Spanking and getting

His people fro one day to the next- yet much more was happening.

What is God Doing?1. Preparing the redemptive nation to receive

the promises to Abram. Made them a great nation Blessing/cursing- based on their response Preparing Israel to be His mediator Bonding them together with a national identity.

What is God doing?2. Purifying the idolatrous nations that had rejected the true

God and who would hinder the conquest of the land of promise.

How much did God hate the rebellion of these who sinned- He halted His program for 40 years to get rid of the known rebels.

3. Punishing the idolatrous nations that had rejected the true God who would cause problems if not eliminated from the future land of the nation of Israel (Num. 33:50-56)(Dt.9-4)

4. Prizing one people as a model to the nations- placed among seven other pagan nations so they could see the glory of God and have opportunity (Dt. 7:1-100).

What is God Doing?5. Prospering his people based on covenant

obedience present and future. Israel was learning that obedience led to prosperity as they fulfilled their responsibility, then God’s blessing was theirs. ”The blessing promised to Abraham and his children. . .” (Dt. 29:9,12,13).

The purpose of this covenant contract was to call future generations into this same relationship of responsibility toward God:“I am making this covenant with its oath not only with you who are standing here in the presence of the LORD our God but also with those who are not here today (Dt. 29:14, 15).

God Sends Joshua into the Land

Joshua is commissioned to take the nation into a land with seven other nations (Josh. 1:6)

Missionaries facing new assignments can identify with Joshua’s emotions and the need of the exhortation: “Do not be afraid.”

Pastors need the word: “Do not be afraid.” Bible School Graduates need this word: “Do

not be afraid.” Students need the word: “Do not be afraid.”

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