God never intended that the ancient Jews would be an exclusive religion based upon physical descent. In the covenant given to Abraham, there is reference to all the families on earth being blessed. Many texts speak of God’s intent that non-Jews be welcomed into their worship of Yahweh. One such passage if today’s text: Psalm 67.
It opens with an allusion to the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24-26 intended for the “Israelites.” Then, the writer immediately extends this to “all nations.” Throughout the remainder of the work, this extended application is continued with references to “peoples” and “nations.” Similar statements are made over 50 times in the Old Testament.
We often think of the Jewish faith as exclusive (with the struggles of Jonah topping the list!). Yet, these are frequent reminders of God’s desire for those outside Israel to come to faith and worship the Lord.
In the events of Christ’s “Passion week,” we see this purpose unfold in a dramatic way. The doorway to God will burst open in the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. The result is a universal offer of relationship to all people throughout the world through the actions of God’s son (Consider texts like, Rom 1:5, 1 Tim 2:3-4, and Acts 10:34-35).