No — the inclusion of Gentiles was not a new concept introduced by Paul; it was already part of God's revealed purpose in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 42:1 and 49:6 reveal that God always intended His servant to bring judgment/rule and salvation to the Gentiles. Paul did not invent this message; he proclaimed it to the Gentile world (Clip 2). What was kept secret, according to Les Feldick, was the specific turning to the Gentiles apart from Israel — not the inclusion of Gentiles itself (Clip 3).
Isaiah 49:6 — God explicitly promised that His servant would be 'a light to the Gentiles,' showing that Gentile inclusion was in God's plan long before Paul.
Isaiah 42:1 — The Old Testament identifies the Messiah as the one who would 'bring forth judgment' or rule to the Gentiles.
Romans 3:29 — Paul himself asks whether God is not also the God of the Gentiles, demonstrating that his teaching was in continuity with the Old Testament.
The Old Testament already places the Gentiles within God's purpose. Isaiah 42:1 says of God's servant, the Messiah: 'Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.' This promise comes centuries before Paul. Isaiah 49:6 makes the Gentile purpose even clearer: 'And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.' The servant would restore Israel, but that restoration is tied to becoming a light to the nations. In the New Testament, Paul himself uses the same Old Testament framework. Romans 3:29 declares: 'Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.' And Romans 15:12 quotes the Old Testament: 'And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.'
Les Feldick teaches that Paul was not introducing a new concept when he preached to the Gentiles. God's intention for the Gentiles was woven through the Old Testament. Les points to Isaiah 42 and 49 as evidence that God always planned for Israel to carry His light to the pagan world (Clips 1, 3, 7). At the same time, Les emphasizes that the Jewish reaction to the word 'Gentile' was explosive — when Paul spoke that word, the crowd shouted 'Away with such a fellow from the earth' (Clip 0). That hostility helps explain why Paul's Gentile message felt new, even though it was rooted in ancient prophecy. Les also teaches that Israel failed in her role to evangelize the Gentiles. So God raised up one Jewish man, Saul of Tarsus, as the apostle to the Gentiles, sending him 'far hence unto the Gentiles' (Clip 5). Paul was not inventing a new doctrine; he was 'trumpeting' the purpose God had already announced in the Old Testament (Clip 2). What was truly kept secret until Paul, Les explains, was God's plan to go to the Gentiles apart from the nation of Israel — not the inclusion of the Gentiles in God's plan (Clip 3).
Les Feldick points to Isaiah 42:1, where God's servant would 'bring forth judgment' — that is, rule — to the Gentiles, identifying that servant as Christ the Messiah (Clip 1). He then moves to Isaiah 49:6, where God says He will give His servant as 'a light to the Gentiles' and make salvation reach 'to the end of the earth' (Clips 1 and 7). These passages show that Gentiles were God's concern from the beginning and that the Old Testament program was for Israel to take God's light to the heathen nations (Clip 3).
Les recounts Paul's speech to a Jewish crowd, where Paul said the Lord told him, 'Depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.' Les notes that the crowd listened until Paul spoke the word 'Gentile,' and then they lifted up their voices and shouted, 'Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live' (Clip 0). The very word enraged them. This attitude underscores how astonishing the Gentile message seemed, even though it was not a new invention from Paul.
Les clarifies that the Old Testament program was for God to go to the pagan Gentiles through Israel. Israel was set apart as God's covenant people precisely so that someday they could take the knowledge of Jehovah to the nations (Clip 3). Paul's message was a proclamation of what God had always planned — not a brand-new concept. However, Les explains that the specific point kept secret in God's mind was that He would turn to the Gentiles without Israel. After Israel rejected the Messiah, God raised up Saul of Tarsus and sent him primarily to the Gentiles (Clips 2 and 5). So the Gentile inclusion itself is not new; the 'Gentile without Israel' turn was the mystery revealed through Paul.
Jewish Hostility to the Word 'Gentile'
Les shows how furious the Jewish crowd became when Paul merely said the word 'Gentile,' demonstrating the explosive nature of the Gentile message.
Isaiah 42 and 49 as Proof of God's Gentile Purpose
Les points to Isaiah 42:1 and 49:6 to prove that the Messiah and God's salvation were promised to the Gentiles long before Paul.
Paul Trumpeting an Existing Purpose
Les says Paul was not inventing a message; he was 'trumpeting' to the Gentile world what God had already planned, and God went to the Gentiles after the favored nation failed.
The Secret of Turning to Gentiles Without Israel
Les teaches that God's Old Testament program was to reach Gentiles through Israel, and what was kept secret was God turning to the Gentiles apart from the nation of Israel.
God Did Not Forget the Gentiles
Les notes that even while God dealt primarily with Israel, He did not forget the Gentiles, and the Old Testament promise of a root of Jesse shows the Gentiles would trust in Him.
Paul Called as Apostle to the Gentiles
Les says Israel was meant to be God's priests to the Gentiles, and when Israel missed it, God raised up Saul of Tarsus specifically to go to the Gentiles.
God Is the God of the Gentiles Too
Les draws on Paul's question in Romans 3:29 — God is not the God of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles — as evidence that Paul's Gentile teaching was established.
Israel's Calling to Be a Light to the Gentiles
Les traces Isaiah 49:6 to show that Israel was supposed to be a light to the Gentiles and that God never lost sight of the Gentile nations.
Isaiah 42:1: Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
This Old Testament verse identifies the Messiah as the servant who would bring God's rule to the Gentiles.
Isaiah 49:6: And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
God explicitly promises that His servant will be a light to the Gentiles and bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
Romans 3:29: Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.
Paul uses this rhetorical question to show that God's relationship with the Gentiles was already part of the divine purpose.
Romans 15:11: And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.
Paul quotes Scripture to call all Gentile peoples to praise God, showing the Old Testament basis for Gentile inclusion.
Romans 15:12: And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
Paul quotes the Old Testament to demonstrate that the Gentiles' trust in Christ was foretold.
No. Isaiah 42:1 and 49:6 already promised that God's servant would bring judgment and be a light to the Gentiles. Paul proclaimed that purpose to the Gentile world, but he did not invent it.
Les taught that God's intention to reach the Gentiles through Israel was clear in the Old Testament. What was kept secret was God's plan to turn to the Gentiles apart from Israel after Israel rejected the Messiah.
As Les shows from Acts 22, the crowd reacted to the very word 'Gentile' by shouting that Paul should not be allowed to live. That hostility shows how striking the Gentile message was, even though it was rooted in the Old Testament.
Watch the Teaching: Does God Harden Hearts? Romans 9:18-24 and the Potter's Clay