Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!

Recently, I have been studying the chapters in Acts that are about the integration of the Gentiles into the community of the followers of Jesus.  Although there were some early questions about how this was to happen, there does not seem to be any doubt that the apostles believed that this was an essential part of their mission and that it was a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.  Paul quoted Old Testament texts to support his conviction that Gentiles belonged in the "commonwealth of Israel" (Ephesians 2:12).  An interesting example is Romans 15:11 from which I have taken the title of this post.  

Rom 15:8 KJV – Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses,...]: 9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. 10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.

• Rom 15:10 Greek – Ευφρανθητε, εθνη, μετα του λαου αυτου  
• Rom 15:10 Greek transliteration – Euphranthete, ethne, meta tou laou autou  
• Rom 15:10 KJV – Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people
• Deut 32:43 Septuagint – ευφρανθητε, εθνη, μετα του λαου αυτου 
• Deut 32:43 Septuagint transliteration – euphranthete, ethne, meta tou laou autou
• Deut 32:43 KJV – Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people 

• Rom 15:11 Greek – Αινειτε τον Κυριον παντα τα εθνη, και επαινεσατε αυτον παντες οι λαοι 
• Rom 15:11 Greek transliteration – Aineite ton Kyrion panta ta ethne, kai epainesate auton pantes oi laoi
• Rom 15:11 KJV – Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people
• Psalms 117:1 Septuagint – Αινειτε τον κυριον, παντα τα εθνη, επαινεσατε αυτον, παντες οι λαοι
• Psalms 117:1 Septuagint transliteration – Aineite ton kyrion, panta ta ethnē,
  epainesate auton, pantes oi laoi
• Psalms 117:1 KJV – O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people

1 Kings 8:56 KJV – Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

As I survey the Old Testament texts that describe the Gentiles joining with Israel, I am struck by the beautiful vision of unity and harmony that is portrayed— and I am dismayed at how far we are from worshiping "with His people" Israel.  I will go into some specifics in a later post, but for now I would like the texts to speak for themselves.  The rest of this post is just the Bible.

Psalms 22:27 ESV – All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations (‏כל־משׁפחות גוים – kol mishp'chot goyim) (Genesis 12:3) shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations (‏גוים – goyim).

Psalms 96:1 ESV – Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth (‏כל־הארץ – kol ha'aretz)!... 3 Declare his glory among the nations (‏בגוים – bagoyim), his marvelous works (Revelation 15:3) among all the peoples (‏בכל־העמים – b'kol ha'amim)!... 10 Say among the nations (‏בגוים – bagoyim), "The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity."

Isaiah 2:1 ESV – The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations (‏כל־הגוים – kol hagoyim) shall flow to it, 3 and many peoples (‏עמים רבים – amim rabim) shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob [Israel], that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations (‏הגוים – hagoyim), and shall decide disputes for many peoples (‏עמים רבים – amim rabim); and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation (‏גוי – goy) shall not lift up sword against nation (‏גוי – goy), neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob [Israel], come, let us walk in the light of the Lord .

Isaiah 11:10 – In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples--of him shall the nations (‏גוים – goyim) inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people (‏עמו – amo), from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 12 He will raise a signal for the nations (‏גוים – goyim) and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah 25:6 – On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples (‏לכל־העמים – l'kol ha'amim) a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples (‏כל־העמים – kol ha'amim), the veil that is spread over all nations (‏כל־הגוים – kol hagoyim). 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people (‏עמו – amo) he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

Isaiah 27:6 ESV – In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit.

Isaiah 49:5 ESV – And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him-- for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord , and my God has become my strength-- 6 he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations (‏גוים – goyim), that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

Isaiah 56:3 ESV – Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, "The Lord will surely separate me from his people"; and let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree." 4 For thus says the Lord : "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant-- 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."

Isaiah 66:18 ESV – For I know their works (Rev 2:2,...) and their thoughts, and the time is coming to gather all nations (‏כל־הגוים – kol hagoyim) and tongues (Rev 7:9). And they shall come and shall see my glory, 19 and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations (‏הגוים – hagoyim), to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations (‏בגוים – bagoyim). 20 And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations (‏כל־הגוים – kol hagoyim) as an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites (‏בני ישׂראל – b'ne Yisrael) bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. 21 And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord. 22 For as the new heavens and the new earth (2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1) that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain. 23 From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh (Luke 3:6) shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 3:17 ESV – At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations (‏כל־הגוים – kol hagoyim) shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.

Ezekiel 47:21 ESV – So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel (Rev 7:4-8; 21:12). 22 You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners (‏הגרים – hagerim / τοις προσηλυτοις – tois proselytois) who reside among you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 23 In whatever tribe the sojourner (‏הגר – hager / τοις προσηλυτοις – tois proselytois) resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord God .

Zechariah 2:10 ESV – Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the Lord. 11 And many nations (‏גוים רבים – goyim rabim) shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you 12 And the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

Zechariah 8:22 ESV – Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew (‏אישׁ יהודי – ish y'hudi), saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'

Zechariah 14:16 ESV – Then everyone who survives of all the nations (‏כל־הגוים – kol hagoyim) that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.

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• Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 
• Ευφρανθητε, εθνη, μετα του λαου αυτου. 
• Freut euch, ihr Heiden, mit seinem Volk!
• Gentils, réjouissez-vous avec son peuple.
• Alegraos, gentiles, con su pueblo.
• Ey uluslar, Onun halkıyla birlikte sevinin!
• Jublen, I hedningar, med hans folk.
• Alegrai-vos, gentios, juntamente com o povo.