It is a common misconception that God’s call to missions is a New Testament development. While we obviously have the clear words of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” the foundations of missions were laid in the Old Testament and provide us with a more clear understanding of God’s activity in the world.

Johannes Verkuyl lists four motifs for the basis of modern missions that have their genesis in the Old Testament.[1] The first is the universal motif. The universal motif is seen in the first 11 chapters of Genesis. For instance, Genesis 10, and the Table of nations in particular, establishes that God is sovereign and Lord over every nation. When God later chose the people of Israel (cf. Gen 12 and following), it was so that the Jews might become as a priest unto the other nations. What sense is there to be a priest without having someone to whom to minister? A priest does not serve himself but others. Thus, Israel is not the exclusive recipient of God’s blessing, but rather they are confirmation of God’s universal concern and intent for the nations. God’s concern for Israel becomes a model for His concern for the entire world and his activity with Israel is a microcosm of His activity in the world, particularly after Christ.

In the Old Testament there is also the motif of rescue and liberation. A powerful example of this is God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage. It is also seen when God brought back His people from Babylonian captivity. Israel owes its existence to God’s deliverance of them on several occasions. This motif, however, is not unique to Israel, for repeatedly we read the prophets call for other nations to come to God and be saved (cf. Is 45:22; Jer 3:17; Dan 7:14; Zeph 3:9; Zech 8:23; et al). In the last days, Jerusalem shall be an international city where all peoples shall come to worship the Lord and know his salvation.

In the pages of the Old Testament, we also see the antagonistic motif. This motif is the complement to the rescue and liberation motif for we see how God resists injustice, oppression, and evil. The Israelites were often tempted by the idols of the nations surrounding them. God eternally resists these idols and false-gods. And more than resisting them, he exposes them for the sham which they are. Since the Fall in Genesis 3, God has made clear his resistance to sin and evil in the world no matter their disguise. Thankfully, this is a temporary situation for mankind, for the prophets foretell the day when sin and evil will be no more and harmony will be re-established on the earth—harmony with God and harmony among men (cf. Is 2; Mic 4:1-5).

Finally, we also read about the missionary motif that runs throughout the Old Testament. Israel’s election was a privilege that included a call to service. Israel was meant to be a witness to the nations. The prophet Jonah is a prime example of this. Besides Jonah, there are many other examples: For instance, Ruth is a convert because of Israel’s witness; furthermore, Job and Melchizedek are examples of Yahweh-followers who were not specifically Hebrew. Sadly, the people of Israel were often derelict in their duties to be a positive witness of God’s salvation to their neighbors, but the expectation to do so is found throughout the pages of the Old Testament.

These are four motifs from the Old Testament that find their full culmination in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, these are four motifs that undergird the modern missions movement and continue to guide missionaries even today. Missionaries should take pleasure in knowing that their work is part of God’s plan from the beginning of time and that they take their place among a cloud of witnesses who have gone before them. God is not finished with his work in the world. Until that day when perfect harmony is restored, we still have work to do proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and advancing God’s kingdom until everyone has heard.

[1] Johannes Verkuyl, Contemporary Missiology: An Introduction (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978).