Are you working on a global missionary sermon or
message? Do you have to do a Bible study on missions? Has someone asked the question:
Why missions? Why should I be concerned about the global harvest of souls?
Sacred scripture is full of explicit as well as implicit
references to God's will for world evangelism. Most evangelical believers know the
Great Commission: "Go ye into all
the world."
The Great Commission is not the only verse in God's Word
that calls for God's people to participate in world missions efforts. There are many other global
missions verses.
"They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day
to see if what Paul said was true." — Acts 17:11
Does the Old Testament (a.k.a. Hebrew Bible) have a missionary
message?
Harvest passages:
120 Old Testament verses relevant to world missions
Why is world missionary work important? We have a mission to fulfill: Biblical passages
dealing with world evangelism
Here is a partial listing of Old Testament missionary scriptures — scriptures
concerning missions — from the Hebrew Bible. Use these to encourage a clear missionary
vision. Several passages have links to where they are cited on other pages of this website.
Some of these Bible verses relating to missions would make great Faith Promise convention themes.
In order of the number of verses on this list, Psalms has the most with 48. Isaiah is second
with 29. Jeremoiah has 5. Deuteronomy and Zechariah each have 4 verses. Genesis, Ezekiel, 2
Chronicles and Micah each have 3. Exodus, 1 Samuel, Daniel and Zephaninah have 2. The
following books have one verse in this listing: Numbers, Joshua, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles,
Ecclesiastes, Habakkuk, Haggai, and Malachi. Jonah is listed with just one verse (4:11), but the
whole book is the story of a reluctant missionary.
"We must choose this day whether we will hide our eyes from the need and close
our ears to the call or whether we will tackle with new decisiveness, mixed with humility and
devotion, the unchanging command of a faithful God who is still seeking." —
Ralph Winter in Faithful in Christ Jesus: A mission reader
Exodus 9:14-16 — "I have raised you up for this very
purpose . . . that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth"
Exodus 19:6 — Israel was to be a "kingdom of priests"
— Engagemagazine
article
Numbers 14:21 — glory of Lord fills the whole earth
Deuteronomy 4:6-8 — show your understanding to the
nations1
Deuteronomy 10:19 — "You are to love those who are
aliens" — Engagemagazine
article
Deuteronomy 28:10 — "all the peoples on the earth
will see that you are called by the name of the Lord"
Deuteronomy 32:1 - "Hear, O earth, the words of my
mouth."
Joshua 4:24 — "so that all the peoples of the earth
might know"
1 Samuel 2:10 — "The Lord will judge the ends of the earth."
1 Samuel 17:46 — "the whole world will know there
is
a God in Israel"
1 Kings 8:41-43, 59-60 (also in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33)
— "so that all peoples of the earth may know your name" (Solomon's prayer at dedication
of Temple)
2 Kings 19:15, 19 — "Hezekiah prayed . . . : O Lord, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the
earth.'"
1 Chronicles 16:23-24 — "Declare his glory among
the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples"
1 Chronicles 16:28 — "O families of nations, ascribe
to the Lord glory and strength."
1 Chronicles 16:31 "Let the earth be glad; let them say
among the nations, The Lord reigns!'"
2 Chronicles 6:32-33 — "so that all the peoples of the
earth may know your name and fear you"
Psalm 2:7-10 — "You are my Son . . . I will make the nations
your inheritance"
Psalm 7:7-8 — "Let the Lord judge the peoples"
Psalm 8:9 — "How majestic is your name in all the
earth!"
Psalm 9:11 — "Proclaim among the nations what he
has done." — Engagemagazine article
Psalm 18:49 — "I will praise you among the nations"
— Engagemagazine
article
Psalm 19:1-4 — "their words to the ends of the
world"
Psalm 22:26-28
— "all the families of the nations will bow down"
Psalm 22:27 — "All the ends of the earth will
remember and turn to the Lord"
— Engagemagazine
article
Psalm 24 — "The earth is the Lord's"
Psalm 33 — "Blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord"
Psalm 45:17 — "The nations will praise you for ever
and ever"
Psalm 46:10 —
"I will be exalted among the nations"
Psalm 47 — "God reigns over the nations"
Psalm 48:10 — "Like your name, O God, your praise
reaches to the ends of the earth"
— Engagemagazine
article
Psalm 49:1 — "Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all
who live in this world"
Psalm 50 — "From the rising of the sun to the place
where it sets"
Psalm 57 — "I will sing of you among the
peoples"
Psalm 59:13 — "It will be known to the ends of the
earth that God rules over Jacob."
Psalm 65:5-8 — "the hope of all the ends of the earth .
. . where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy"
— Engagemagazine
article
Psalm 66 — "All the earth bows down to you . . .
Praise our God, O peoples"
Psalm 96 —
"sing to the Lord, all the earth . . . Declare his
glory among the nations"
Psalm 97:1 — "The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice."
Psalm 98:3 — "All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God."
Psalm 98:9 — "He comes to judge the earth. He will
judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity."
Psalm 99:1-3 — "He is exalted over all the nations.
Let them praise your great and awesome name"
Psalm 102:15 — "The nations will fear the name of
theLord, all the kings of the earth will revere
your glory."
Psalm 102:22 — "When the peoples and the kingdoms
assemble to worship the Lord"
Psalm 105:1 — "Make known among the nations what
He has done" — Engagemagazine article
Psalm 106:8 — The reason for dividing the Red
Sea
Psalm 107:3 — "The redeemed of the Lord . . . those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south"
Psalm 108:3 — "I will sing of you among the
peoples"
Psalm 108:5 — "Be exalted, O God, above the
heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth."
Psalm 110:6 — "He will judge the nations"
Psalm 113:3 — "From the rising of the sun to the
place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be
praised" — Engage
magazine article
Psalm 117 — "Praise the Lord, all you nations"
Psalm 126 — "it was said among the nations"
Psalm 135 — "our Lord is greater than all gods"
Psalm 138:4 — "May all the kings of the earth praise
you, O Lord"
Ecclesiastes 3:11 — "[God] has set eternity in the
hearts of men."
Isaiah 2:3 — "Many peoples will come and say,
Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.'"
Isaiah 5:26 — "He lifts up a banner for the distant
nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth."
Isaiah 6:3 — "They were calling to one another: Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth
is full of his glory.'"
Isaiah 11:9 — "Fill the earth with the knowledge of
the Lord"
Isaiah 11:10 — "A Root of Jesse will stand as a
banner for the peoples, the nations will rally to Him"
Isaiah 12:4 — "Make known among the nations what
He has done"
Isaiah 24:14-16 — "From the ends of the earth we hear
singing: Glory to the Righteous One.'" — Engagemagazine
article
Isaiah 25:6 — "The Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples"
Isaiah 34:1 — "Come near, you nations, and listen;
pay attention, you peoples!"
Isaiah 37:16 — "O Lord Almighty . . . , you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the
earth."
Isaiah 40:5 — "The glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together."
Isaiah 42:4 —
"In His law the islands will put their hope"
Isaiah 42:6 — "I will keep you and will make you to
be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles."
Isaiah 42:10 — "Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the end of the earth"
Isaiah 43:6 — "I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'"
Isaiah 45:6 — "From the rising of the sun to the place
of its setting men may know there is none besides me." — Engagemagazine article
Isaiah 45:22 — "Turn to me . . . all you ends of the
earth"
Isaiah 49:1-6 — "I will make you a light for the
Gentiles"
Isaiah 49:22 — "The Sovereign Lord says: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will
lift up my banner to the peoples."
Isaiah 51:4-5 — "My justice will become a light to the
nations . . . the coastlands hope for me"
Isaiah 52:7, 10 — "The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God."
Isaiah 56:3 — "Let not the man from a strange land
who has joined the Lord say, 'For sure the Lord will keep me away from His people.'"
Isaiah 56:7 — "My house shall be called a house of
prayer for all nations"
Isaiah 57:19 — "Peace to those near and far . . . I will
heal them"
Isaiah 59:19 — "From the west, men will fear the
name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun,
they will revere His glory."
Isaiah 60:3 — "Nations will come to your light"
Isaiah 62:11 — "The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth"
Isaiah 65:1 — "I revealed myself to those who did not
ask for me."
Isaiah 66:18-19 — "They will proclaim my glory
among the nations" — Engagemagazine article
Jeremiah 1:5 — "I appointed you as a prophet to the
nations"
Jeremiah 3:17 — "All nations will gather in Jerusalem
to honor the name of the Lord"
Jeremiah 12:16 — "If they learn well the ways of my
people and swear by my name, saying, 'As surely as the Lord lives' -- even as they once taught
my people to swear by Baal then they will be established among my people."
Jeremiah 16:19 To you the nations will come from the ends
of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them
no good."
Jeremiah 31:10 — "Hear the word of the
Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant
coastlands" — Engagemagazine article
Ezekiel 34:4, 6 — "[My sheep] were scattered over the
whole earth and no one searched or looked for them."
Ezekiel 36:22-23 — "The nations will know I am the
Lord."
Ezekiel 38:20 — "All the people on earth will tremble
at my presence"
Daniel 2:47; 4:1-2; 6:25 — "Surely your God is the
God of gods"
Daniel 7:13, 14 — "all peoples, nations and languages
should serve Him"
Micah 1:2 — "Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O
earth and all who are in it."
Micah 4:2 — "Many nations will come"
Micah 5:4 — "His greatness will reach to the ends of
the earth."
Habakkuk 2:14 — "The earth will be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the
waters
cover the sea"
Zephaniah 2:11 — "Nations on every shore will
worship him"
Zephaniah 3:9 — "Then will I purify the lips of the
peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord." — Engage magazine article
Haggai 2:7 — "Desire of all nations"
Zechariah 2:11 — "Many nations will be joined with
the Lord in that day and will become my
people"
Zechariah 8:20-23 — "Many peoples and inhabitants
of many cities will come"
Zechariah 9:10 — "He will proclaim peace to the
nations"
Zechariah 14:9 — "The Lord will be king over the whole earth."
Malachi 1:10-11 — "My name will be great among the
nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun" — Engagemagazine article
Is there a common thread?
Echoing throughout this list of Old Testament verses is that God's glory and name
should be proclaimed among all the nations and peoples of the earth. That is evident in verses
where it is mentioned that God created everything, and hence, all creation owes Him worship.
The verses also highlight God's covenant with all life on earth and His plan to be known and
glorified among the nations. Furthermore, the verses mention that Israel was to be a "kingdom of
priests" and that all people on earth should know the name of the Lord. The Psalms repeatedly
emphasize the message that God's glory and name should be declared among all nations, from the
rising to the setting of the sun.
Whatever groups we divide humanity into — races, nations, languages, cultures
— it is clear that God loves all of them and wants people from all those groupings to be
reconciled to Him.
Video: "Making disciples in all nations" (13 minutes)
In top-line blessings/bottom-line responsibilities categories used by Don Richardson and Bob
Sjogren, many of the biblical passages on this page are of the bottom-line responsibility type.
Prayer: The
mission of the church
"O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed Son to
preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near. Grant that people everywhere
may seek after you and find you.
"Bring the nations into your fold. Pour out your
Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your Kingdom through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."
— Book of Common Prayer (Anglican)
"Make known among the nations what He has done." — Psalm 105:1
1In the Bible, the word "nations" does not mean political entities like China,
India, and the USA. Rather, it means people groups or societies in which people speak the same
language, have the same culture, and live in or have originated in the same area. "Nations" is
synonymous with the plural word "peoples." In other words, nations in the Bible means all of the
people groups of the world other than the people of Israel.
-- compiled by Howard Culbertson,
Afterword: Does the Old Testament say anything about world missions?
Yes, the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, does contain passages that express God's desire
that all people know about Him. One significant example is found in the book of Isaiah, where
God emphasizes His plan for salvation note the inclusion of all nations in it.
Isaiah 49:6 says: "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation
may reach to the ends of the earth." This verse reflects the prophet Isaiah's message that God's
salvation is not only for the Israelites but also for all peoples, extending to the ends of the
earth.
Psalm 67:2-4 says: "May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving
power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations
praise you."
These two passages, along with more than one hundred others listed above, show that God
desires for His name to be known and praised among all peoples. The Old Testament clearly
shows the universal aspect of God's plan of salvation along with His desire that every
ethnolinguistic group know about Him.
"Throughout scripture, God made His passion known for the people of all nations.
Right from the beginning, God was not just invested in the Hebrew people. He loves and longs
for all nations." -- Louise S., Nazarene Bible College student
The barbarians become Christian
In the years 400-800 AD the Germanic
tribes of central Europe turned to Christ in massive numbers. [ more
]
Harvest passages:
120 Old Testament verses relevant to world missions