Under the OT, Gentiles were generally excluded from the worship of the synagogue and from all the privileges of being Jewish. However, the OT made provision for non-Jews who believed in the God of Israel.
Believing foreigners were permitted to participate in worship
Exodus 12:48–49 See also Numbers 9:14, Numbers 15:13–16; 1 Kings 8:41–43; Isaiah 56:6–8
If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it. The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”
Foreigners living in Israel were to be treated kindly
Exodus 23:9 See also Exodus 22:21; Leviticus 19:9–10, Leviticus 24:22; Deuteronomy 26:12–15, Deuteronomy 27:19
Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Divine promises concerning the Gentiles
All people will be blessed through Abraham
Genesis 12:3 See also Genesis 18:18, Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:8–9
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
All nations will bow before God
Psalm 22:27–28 See also Psalm 86:9; Daniel 7:14; Amos 9:11–12
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations.
The Gentiles will be enlightened
Isaiah 49:6 See also Isaiah 9:1–2, Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 60:1–3; Luke 2:30–32
He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
The Messiah will bring justice to the Gentiles
Matthew 12:18–21 See also Isaiah 42:1–4
“Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory. In His name the nations will put their hope.”
Gentiles will become God's people
Romans 9:22–25 See also Hosea 2:23; 1 Peter 2:10
What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction? What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory — including us, whom He has called not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles? As He says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘My People’ who are not My people, and I will call her ‘My Beloved’ who is not My beloved,”
Gentiles will praise God
Romans 15:9–12 See also Deuteronomy 32:43; 2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49; Isaiah 11:10
so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.” Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.” And once more, Isaiah says: “The Root of Jesse will appear, One who will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope.”
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.