People Of The Law: The Religion of Israel

The faith of Israel, now more commonly known as the Jewish faith, did not begin as a set of religious practices or system of beliefs. Rather, it began when God commanded Abraham to leave his home and take his wife Sarah and family to a new land called Canaan. Along with this command, God promised Abraham three things: (1) he would have many descendants who would become a great nation; (2) his descendants would be famous and have a land they could call their own; and (3) God would bless Abraham's descendants, and everyone on earth would be blessed because of them (Gen 12.1-3; 15.1-6; 17.1-8).

A Special Agreement

In return for these promises, Abraham and his descendants were to trust in God alone and obey what God told them to do. A special agreement (also known as a “covenant”) had been formed. Abraham confirmed this agreement with God by having his son and all his male descendants circumcised (Gen 17.9-27). Having male children circumcised became an important sign of belonging to God's special people. See also the mini-article called Agreements (Covenants), and the note on circumcision at Genesis 17.10-11.

Israel’s Unique Faith

The following things made the faith of Israel unique among the religions of the ancient world:

1. They believed that God Yahweh had selected them to be God’s special (chosen) people.        
2. They believed God acted in history and was involved in the life of the whole community. God’s relationship was with all the people, not just with a few individuals or the community’s leaders.        
3. They believed only in Yahweh and did not worship any other gods.

The Lord Gives His Chosen People the Law

The Bible describes how God was at work in the history of the Hebrew people (later called Israelites). When they fled to Egypt to escape a famine (Gen 42), God took care of them. Later, under Moses' leadership, God helped them escape from slavery in Egypt (Exod 12 - 14). The festival called Passover commemorates this important event, and is observed by Jewish people today. Remembering God's blessings and guidance has been an important part of their worship life as God's people.

God Makes An Agreement with the Israelites

God made an important agreement with the Israelite people at Mount Sinai, a place in the desert where Moses and the Israelites arrived after escaping from Egypt (Exod 19.1-2). This happened before they entered Canaan, the land God promised to give them. At Sinai, God gave the Law to Moses and the people. This Law includes the Ten Commandments (Exod 20.2-17; Deut 5.6-21) and other instructions about how the Israelite people should live together and worship God (see also the mini-article called Ten Commandments.  Other sections of this Law of Moses are given in Exodus 19 - 34, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. The Law included rules about making sacrifices to God, about how to treat others, and about who would be in charge of Israel's worship. It also included instructions about observing special festivals and holy days and explained what should happen if someone broke a law. At this point in their history, the people of Israel did not need a system of government or a constitution because they were supposed to live according to the Law of Moses. God promised that if the people followed the Law they would be rewarded. But if they were unfaithful to God and did not live according to the Law, they could expect to be punished (Exod 20.5,6; Lev 25.14-46).

The People Enter the Land God Promised Them

 In addition to the Law, God also gave Moses instructions for making a sacred tent (also known as the Tabernacle), where the people would gather to worship God and offer sacrifices (Exod 25-30). This tent had three sections:

1. The outer area. This is where animals were sacrificed and burned on an altar. There was also a bronze bowl in this area for the priests to wash their hands (Exod 27.1-19; 30.17-21).
2. A holy place. This area had a table, a golden candlestick, and an altar where incense  was burned. The altar and table were made of acacia wood and covered with gold. A  special kind of bread called Sacred Bread, or the Bread of the Presence was kept on   the table. Twelve loaves of bread, one for each of Israel's tribes, were to be set out on the table every Sabbath (the day of rest), and only the priests were permitted to eat it (Lev 24.5–9). The lampstand was made of gold and had seven branches that curved upward. An oil-burning lamp was placed on each of the seven branches (Exod 25.31–40). The lampstand had seven branches probably because seven was a holy number that symbolized the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week (the day God rested after creating the world; see Gen 2.1,2)
3. The most holy place (holy of holies). This is where God was said to be present and where the sacred chest (or ark) containing the stone tablets of the Law was kept. The sacred chest was covered with gold and measured about 4-feet long and was just over 2-feet wide and high. Gold rings were put on each side, so the people   could carry the chest with them when they moved from place to place (Exod 25.10-22). The lid of the box was called the place of mercy (or mercy seat; see Exod 26.34), because this is where God “sat” (was present) to be among the people, to receive their sacrifices, and to meet a representative of the people. Only Moses, and later the high priest, were allowed to enter the most holy place. It was separated from the rest of the tent by a curtain (Exod 27.21) and inside the most holy place was a lamp that was to be kept burning (Exod 27.20).

The Sacred Tent

Each of the areas of the sacred tent was separated from the others by curtains. A frame made of forty-eight acacia wood planks supported the whole tent, and it measured about 150-feet by 75-feet. The people carried the sacred tent and sacred chest with them as they journeyed. When they finally entered the land of Canaan, they divided it among Israel's twelve tribes. At this point, there was no single leader and no government in charge of the people. What the people shared in common was their faith in Yahweh, which their tribal leaders renewed at the central place of worship at Shechem in Canaan (Josh 24.1-28).

The People of Israel Increase

The agreement God had made with Abraham and Sarah was beginning to take shape. Yahweh  had led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and had helped them get their own land. With each new generation, the people of Israel grew in number and began to enjoy the blessings of living in the promised land. But the people had a difficult time being completely loyal to God, so problems arose.

Judges 

Judges describes how God raised up special leaders, called judges, to help the people in times of crisis. Israelites lived in this way for many years, until the people begged the judge and prophet named Samuel to give them a king like the ones who ruled neighboring countries. Samuel thought the people's request showed a lack of faith, but God eventually told Samuel to choose Saul as Israel's first king (1 Sam 8–10). Later, a shepherd named David was made king (1 Sam 16). David captured Jerusalem and made it the capital of Israel and the single place of worship for all the tribes (2 Sam 5,6). He even set up the sacred tent in Jerusalem on a hill that was known as Zion. 

Solomon Builds a Temple

David's son Solomon built the first temple to take the place of the sacred tent. Solomon asked King Hiram of Tyre to supply some materials and skilled builders to help the Israelites construct the temple. In exchange for grain and olive oil from Israel, King Hiram gave Solomon lumber for the temple. People from both kingdoms worked together and the two nations were at peace with one another (1 Kgs 5). The temple was built using cedar, olive wood, and brick, with beautiful decorations made of gold and ivory. Like the sacred tent, the temple had three areas, but in the temple a large olive wood door, instead of a curtain, separated the holy place from the most holy place (1 Kgs 6.1-38; 7.13-8.13). It took seven years to build Solomon's temple, which was dedicated sometime between 960 and 950 b.c. during the Festival of Shelters (1 Kgs 8.62-65).

The Ten Northern Tribes of Israel Break Away

After King Solomon died, the ten northern tribes of Israel broke away and made Shechem and then Tirzah their capital. They created several places of worship (1 Kgs 12.25-33), and some of the northern leaders, such as Ahab and Jezebel, encouraged the people to worship the Canaanite god Baal (1 Kgs 18). They also built idols to worship the local gods (1 Kgs 14.15). This was one of the things God and God's prophets had warned the people not to do. Because the people did not remain loyal to Yahweh alone, they were punished. In 722 b.c. the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom (Israel) and took most of the people from their homeland to live in Assyria (2 Kgs 17). The people of the southern kingdom (Judah) saw this as God's punishment for the northern tribes’ disobedience to their agreement with God. (See also the mini-article called Assyria).

The People of Judah 

Later the people of Judah also disobeyed God and were invaded by the Babylonians, who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 586 b.c. Solomon's temple had stood for nearly 400 years, but the Babylonian invasion put a temporary end to worship at the temple. Israel's priests and prophets were forced to discover how Israel's faith could survive in exile, far away from Jerusalem in captivity in Babylon. (See also the mini-article called Babylon).

Israel Returns and Rebuilds the Temple

The people of Israel lived in exile in Babylon for about 50 years, but the priests and teachers of Israel did not let their faith die. Although the temple was destroyed, and they were far from home, they still had God's Word in the Scriptures and in their hearts. Some scholars believe that the time of exile marked a renewed commitment to God and to studying Scripture. The Jewish people probably continued to meet for worship, but they had to do so in private homes.

In 540 b.c. the Persians defeated the Babylonians. The Persian ruler, Cyrus, followed the Persian custom of allowing captured people to return to their homelands and to worship freely, as long as they promised not to start a revolt against the Persians. Many, but not all Israelites, did return to Judah beginning in 539 b.c. They completed work on a new, smaller temple (“the second temple”in 515 b.c. (Ezra 3 - 5). The prophet Haggai said it could not compare with Solomon's temple (Hag 2.3), but it was used for more than 400 years, somewhat longer than Solomon's temple was used. 

Ezra and Nehemiah

Two men, Ezra and Nehemiah, were especially important leaders during the first hundred years after the people returned to Judah from exile. Ezra, a Jewish priest and scribe, studied the Law of Moses and taught it to the people (Neh 8). Copies of the Law of Moses and the historical records were recovered, edited, and again became the basic guidelines for the relationship between God and the people Israel. Nehemiah, who was appointed by the Persian king to be governor of Judah, supervised the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 2,3).

The Law of Moses

During the centuries after the second temple was built and before Jesus was born, the people of Israel were often under the rule of foreign powers. This caused them to start thinking of themselves more as a religious group than as a nation with physical boundaries and a political leadership of its own. At this time, the most important feature of Israel's religion, which had come to be known as Judaism, was its stress on keeping the Law of Moses. To be a Jew meant following the Law of Moses. This included observing all the religious festivals as well as the special rules for priests and worship in the temple.

A Horrible Offense

The second temple was at the center of an important event in Israel's history in the second century b.c. The Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes set up an altar to the Greek god Zeus in the temple in 167 b.c. This was a horrible offense against God and the Jewish people, so the Jewish people revolted against Antiochus and restored the temple in 164 b.c. The Maccabean priests who led the revolt to free the Jews from Syrian rule set up a Jewish state with themselves as kings. It lasted until the Romans invaded in 63 b.c. For more about this period in Israel’s history, see the article called After the Exile: God’s People Return to Judea.

 Herod Rebuilds and Enlarges the Temple 

In 37 b.c., the Romans named a local leader ruler of Judah. In 20 b.c., Herod received permission to rebuild and expand the temple. Most of the building was completed in a year and a half, but work continued on the temple for another forty to fifty years, into the time when Jesus began his teaching (John 2.20). This expanded second temple, sometimes called “Herod's temple,” was built on a huge four-sided platform that was almost a mile around its base. Its largest stones were as big as 40-feet long and 6-feet high. Some of these stones are still in place today on the temple site in Jerusalem. What is left of this “temple mount” can be seen clearly at the site called the “Western Wall” (or “Wailing Wall”), where many Jews still go to pray. The temple itself was surrounded by a large wall that had many different entrances. The outer area of the temple grounds included a court of the Gentiles, where anyone was allowed to visit. In this outer area, birds and animals suitable for sacrifice were sold to pilgrims, and foreign money was exchanged so pilgrims could pay their temple tax. In addition to the traditional sections discussed earlier -- an altar area where burnt offerings were sacrificed by the priests, a holy area, where only priests were allowed, and the most holy place (or holy of holies), where only the high priest was allowed to go -- the second temple also included a woman's court.

The Antonia Fortress

The religious life of the temple went on in clear view of the Romans, who occupied the Antonia Fortress built right outside the northwest corner of the wall surrounding the temple area. This fortress was the living quarters for a large number of Roman soldiers, whose job was to keep peace in Jerusalem (Acts 21.34-37). The Roman governor's official residence was in Caesarea, but he usually stayed at this fortress while in Jerusalem.

Roman and Jewish Rule

During the time of Herod's temple, the Romans were in charge of Jerusalem and Judea. They did, however, allow a council of local Jewish leaders, including the high priest and other important religious and business leaders, to have some control over settling local matters, especially those having to do with the temple and religious issues. For example, no Gentile (non-Jew) was allowed in the inner parts of the temple. If someone broke this law, the Jewish leaders could call upon the Roman authorities to put the offender to death.

The Center of Jewish Faith

  In Jesus' day, the temple continued to be the center of the Jewish faith. Jewish men and many of their family members traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate yearly festivals such as Passover and the Harvest Festival. The temple priests and the rituals surrounding the temple were important to the Jewish people. Some Jews, such as the Pharisees, also emphasized the importance of studying and interpreting the Jewish Scriptures. This means that there were a number of different and important ways that Jewish people expressed their faith. If this had not been true, the Jewish faith might have died out when the temple was destroyed in a.d. 70.

Jesus' prediction that the temple would be destroyed (Mark 13.1,2) came to pass when the Romans destroyed Herod's temple while putting down a Jewish revolt that lasted between a.d.  64-70. The Roman emperor Hadrian (a.d. 117-138) crushed a second Jewish revolt about a.d. 131. In 132, Hadrian built a temple to honor the Roman god Jupiter on the same site, and in the seventh century a.d., Muslims built a mosque called the Dome of the Rock on the temple site. The shrine and mosque are still standing today, as are a few parts of Herod's original temple area.

The Role of Israel’s Priests

According to the agreement God made with Moses, all the people of Israel were to serve God as priests (Exod 19.5,6). They would be God's holy nation among all the other nations. The Law of Moses also set aside special priests to represent the whole people in their relationship with God. The priests of Israel were to be from the tribe of Levi. Those who were not born into this tribe could not serve as priests.

The Priesthood of Israel

The priesthood of Israel appears to fall into three levels. In the lowest level were those Levites who were not direct descendants of Moses' brother Aaron (Num 3.5-13). They were to help the priests and take care of the furnishings in the sacred tent (and later, in the temple). At the next level were the priests who were responsible for offering sacrifices and leading the worship. These priests were also from the Levite tribe, but had to be direct descendants of Aaron. The Levites and the priests were divided into twenty-four groups or shifts. Each group served in the temple for one week on a rotating basis. With twenty-four groups, a particular priest might serve for a total of two or, very occasionally, three weeks each year. At the head of the priesthood was the high priest. He was in charge of the other priests, and was the only priest who could enter the most holy place to offer sacrifices on the Great Day of Forgiveness (Lev 16.1-25). For more about the role of priests in the religious life of Israel, see the mini-article called Israel’s Priests.

Attire of the Priesthood

The priests wore special clothes made of linen and other fine materials. For a description of these, see Exodus 28.1-29.31. The high priest wore a special vest and breastpiece. The breastpiece was made partly of metal (gold) and partly of cloth (fine linen) and was to have four rows of precious stones with three in each row, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. In the early days of the priesthood, the breastpiece had a pouch in it that contained the “Urim and Thummim,” objects the high priest could use to get a “yes” or “no” answer from God (Exod 28.30). Most likely, by the time the Jewish people returned from their exile in Babylonia the use of the Urim and Thummim had been discontinued. Another distinctive part of the high priest’s attire was a turban. It had a gold rosette with the words “Dedicated to the lord” engraved on it (Exod 28.36; 39.30).

The High Priest

When the Jewish people returned to Jerusalem after exile in Babylonia, the Persian king would not allow them to have their own king. Because they could not have a king, the high priest became an even more significant person in the life of the people. In the centuries before Jesus and during Jesus’ lifetime, the high priest was the head of the temple and of the Jewish people.

Worship and Festivals

 The worship practices of Israel included the offering of sacrifices, prayers, and Scripture reading. Selected texts were read for certain occasions, and sometimes songs were sung. The Psalms include prayers and songs that were sung or said in worship by the whole people or used by individuals in private prayer. The text of Deuteronomy 6.4 (“Hear, O Israel,” called the Shema) was to be said in prayer every morning and evening.

Religious Life

  One of the most important aspects of the religious life of the Jewish people, both before and after the exile, was the keeping of the Sabbath (Exod 20.8-11; Exod 31.12-17). On the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, Jews are commanded not to do any work and to rest, just as God rested after creating the world in six days (Gen 1.1--2.4). The Sabbath is also devoted to prayer and to remembering how God brought the Israelite people out of slavery in Egypt. On this day, they and their children, their servants, their visitors, and even their livestock should rest and not work (Deut 5.12–15).

Festival Celebrations

The festival celebrations that were commanded in the Law of Moses and established by Jewish tradition greatly influenced Israel's life of faith. These celebrations can be grouped according to the time they were to take place as well as by purpose.