Ten examples to counter the Israel Only theory,
This is to answer:
Proponents of Israel Only (IO) - those who professed that God only came for Israel but not for the whole world.
[1] Solomon:
“Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is NOT OF YOUR PEOPLE ISRAEL, but who comes from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray in this temple; then hear from heaven Your place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, THAT ALL PEOPLE OF THE EARTH may know Your name and fear You, AS DO YOUR PEOPLE ISRAEL, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name” (II Chronicles 6:32-33).
Solomon’s prayer lines up well with Isaiah’s prophecy, also quoted and applied by Jesus in His day, that the temple had a purpose of serving as “a house of prayer for ALL NATIONS” (Isaiah 56:7; Mark 11:17).
Solomon’s heart for the nations is also revealed in his only Psalm (72), in which he said things like “ALL NATIONS shall serve Him” (verse 11), “His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; ALL NATIONS shall call Him blessed” (verse 17), and “let the WHOLE EARTH be filled with His glory” (verse 19).
[2] David and Asaph:
“I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son. Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You THE NATIONS for Your inheritance, and the ENDS OF THE EARTH for Your possession’” (Psalm 2:7-8); “Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit ALL NATIONS” (Psalm 82:8).
[3] Unknown author (perhaps David or Asaph):
“God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us. that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among ALL NATIONS. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let ALL PEOPLES praise You. Oh, let THE NATIONS be glad and sing for joy!” (Psalm 67:1-4).
[4] David:
“Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works. ALL NATIONS whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name” (Psalm 86:8-9).
[5] Isaiah:
“And now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him… Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give you as a light to the GENTILES, that You should be My salvation to the ENDS OF THE EARTH’” (Isaiah 49:5-6).
As it is elsewhere, the pattern is Israel first, but not Israel only (e.g. Mark 7:27; Acts 3:25-26, 13:46; Romans 1:16).
[6] James / Luke / Amos:
“Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, ‘Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: “After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up, so that the REST OF MANKIND may seek the Lord, even ALL THE GENTILES who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things”’” (Acts 15:13-17).
[7] Paul:
“Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious… God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood EVERY NATION OF MEN of men to dwell on ALL THE FACE OF THE EARTH, and has determined their preappointed times and THE BOUNDARIES of their habitation, so that THEY SHOULD SEEK THE LORD, IN THE HOPE THAT THEY MIGHT GROPE FOR HIM AND FIND HIM, though He is not far from each one of us’” (Acts 17:22-27).
[8] Paul:
“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you ALL THE NATIONS shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham… Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), THAT the blessing of Abraham might come upon the GENTILES in Christ Jesus, THAT we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith… Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ… And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:8-9, 13-14, 16, 29).
[9] Rabbi Elazar:
“These seventy bulls that are sacrificed as additional offerings over the course of the seven days of Sukkot, to what do they correspond? They correspond to the SEVENTY NATIONS OF THE WORLD, and are brought to atone for their sins and to hasten world peace. Why is a single bull sacrificed on the Eighth Day of Assembly? It corresponds to the singular nation, Israel” (Sukkah 55b.9).
Rabbi Elazar was a first century AD Jewish religious leader and also a direct descendant of Ezra the Scribe. Not only was Rabbi Elazar clearly anti-IO, but in this statement he confirmed that Israel had a mission-oriented role to play with regard to the 70 nations of Genesis 10 all the way up to the first century AD. He confirmed that Abraham’s descendants were not chosen to selfishly hoard God’s blessings for themselves or chosen only for the purpose of blessing themselves.
[10] Philo:
Philo (20 BC – AD 50) said “that the offering at the altar of the first-fruit from the land of Israel serves an efficacious purpose ‘both to the nation…& for the WHOLE HUMAN RACCE… The reason for this is that the Jewish nation is to the WHOLE INHABITED WORLD what the priest is to the State’” (quoted by G.K. Beale in The Temple and the Church’s Mission, 2004, pp. 164-165).
Philo was a first century AD Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who was influential in the Jewish world. He was not IO, and he affirmed that Israel was chosen to serve as priests to the ENTIRE HUMAN RACE. He affirmed that their first fruit offerings were conducted on behalf of non-Israelites everywhere.
Researched by Adam Maarschalk
