Biblical Foundations of Mission

The period of the judges includes many instances of Israel’s failure to worship and serve God alone, as his holy people in a witness to the nations. The culmination of their failure is found in 1 Samuel in their request for a human king to lead their people in order to be like the other nations around them. Even though Israel rejected God as their king, God’s love for all people and his intent to use the Israelites to fulfill his mission of redeeming, reconciling, and restoring creation did not change. 

The book of Ruth is a story about two women, who were widowed, refugees, poor, and destitute with no financial or physical security. Both of them experienced life as a foreigner and ethnic minority in another country. Past issues and tensions between Israel and Moab also likely negatively influenced relations for them.  In the midst of economic, social, cultural, political, and gender marginalization, extraordinary acts of commitment and faithfulness abounded. 

The book of Judges describes a time in Israelite history when there were many failures in faithfulness: to God; to his covenant; and to his mission for Israel to worship and serve Yahweh alone in witness to the nations of his love for them.  Fourteen times the writer of the book of Judges declares periods when the Israelites “did evil in the sight of the Lord,” or did not allow the Lord to be their king and everyone did as they pleased.

Each story is a cross-cultural encounter, involving Israelites and Gentiles from different nations and backgrounds.  Rahab was a female prostitute in Jericho. Naaman was ill with leprosy and a successful army commander in Aram. The Queen was a wealthy political ruler from southern Arabia. Each of these people first heard about the Lord from witnesses.

In accordance with his earlier promises to Abraham and to Moses, God called Joshua to participate in his mission by leading the Israelites into Canaan. This included entering a foreign land, going to war to take possession of it, and dividing it between the tribes. While it is difficult to understand why killing and war are part of God’s mission story, this was not an open authorization for war.