The Mystery of Gentile Inclusion
“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”” (Numbers 3:5-10, ESV)
Pastor Abel’s sermon on Numbers 3-6 is titled, “Reverence”.
When God spoke to Abraham and promised him a son, a land, and a blessing, one of the promises was that the whole world would be blessed through the children of Abraham:
“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”” (Genesis 12:1-3, ESV)
Yet, in Numbers, we see that this blessing to the whole world is not yet achieved. Holy God had chosen and saved a people, Israel, and He had rescued them from captivity, and given them his law, a way for them to live in union with Him. However. Outsiders, people who were not children of Abraham (gentiles), were not welcome.
How then can the nations be blessed? This is a great mystery in the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians chapters 2 and 3. Here is one highlight:
“When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:4-6, ESV).
Christ is the true child of Abraham. He is the one who resolved the mystery. Because he was able to bear the holy wrath of God for sin, he opened the way for all people to come to the Father.