What Is The Bible – Part 3, The Covenant Of Example, Of Love

Series: The Big Questions

What does it mean to be the chosen people? Is it a place of privilege? Or a place of service? The ancient Jews are considered to be an example of godliness, not an exclusive club. They had a covenant (agreement) with God.

Jewish Covenants:

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” – Deuteronomy 14:2

“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’” – Jeremiah 7:23 (NASB)

““Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the Lord, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, “Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.”” – Isaiah 56: 6-8 (NASB)

Image by FlorinCB of a Messianic Seal, on Wikipedia

The special place of jews

The early verses in Judaism made it plain that the Hebrew people of Israel, later called Jews, held a special place. They were to become a great nation of godly people. They were to be examples to others. Later verses from the prophets indicate that from this beginning other people would find their place in that covenant. God’s “house” would be a house for all people who followed God’s ways.

This is a simple idea that is manifest in the complexity of Jewish thought and practices. The prophets spoke in the ideas situated in Judaism. But did this mean that all people would become Jews and practice “religion” in the way that the Jews do?

There are very basic “commandments” that God expects all people to follow. The Ten Commandments would be an example. Judaism, on the other hand, is steeped in rich tradition with laws that are beyond the comprehension of people outside of Judaism. It’s a religion, which is a group of practices meant to enrich faith and bring people closer to God. There are many “religions” that do the same.

In actual practice the prophets cited failure after failure of people to do the right thing toward others and to be loyal to God. They blamed these failures for the invasion by Babylon and the leaders and many of their people being taken into exile.

Practice versus interpretation

Those who were allowed to return to the land and rebuild their Temple felt that they would not make the same mistake again. They would adhere to the letter of the law no matter what. So in that era Judaism eventually became a legislative function, a religion of the state. There were no prophets to correct the course of the ship. It was a situation in which Jesus called the leaders out as hypocrites who followed every jot and tittle of the law but neglected the more important things.

Jesus pointed out that the “Second Commandment” held very high importance. It was about love of others.

Jesus, who was a Jew, tried to help the Jewish people understand the nitty gritty details of what it meant to be in a covenant with God. It meant following God’s ways. That meant not just following God the creator in word, but in actual deed placing love above all.

“One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”” – Mark 12: 28 – 31 (NASB)

The commandment to love others isn’t listed in the Ten Commandments. This is a sorry state of a affairs for something so important. This shows how easy it is to overlook and misinterpret something by getting bogged down in the details. In the forest of trees you miss the overall message. Yet the Ten Commandments are exactly that – a list of things that are representative of love. If you act out of love for others it isn’t possible to break one of these commandments.

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19: 18 (NASB)

This verse represents the same love that God has for each of us. And when people love others they are acceptable to God.

Judaism and the Hebrew Bible

Fundamentalism, which is a strict literal interpretation of scriptures with strict obedience to the letter of the law without exception or understanding, was common in Jesus’ day. Today there are both Jewish and Christian groups that prefer to avoid interpretation or understanding of Scripture, saying that the word of God is final. Love is less of a consideration. These don’t represent the bulk of either religion.

More mainstream interpretation in Judaism is that the Hebrew Bible is a guide to living, not a rigid set of rules. The prophets of Israel tried to help Israel understand what it meant to be chosen by God and that they were required to treat others well. Mistreatment of others was a grave error that the prophets often spoke about, and a primary reason for their being forced into exile in Babylon.

The Rabbis (teachers) of Jesus’ day tried to help people understand and the scribes tried to adopt the wording of scripture to make it less onerous to their local communities, yet preserving the meaning. For at least 500 years after Jesus the rabbis interpreted scripture in new ways that adapted to the times, while preserving the meaning.

The first five books of the Bible are regarded as from God. Sometimes this means from Abraham forward in time, and sometimes from Moses forward. The remainder are collections from various sources written by people and have been massaged into a more or less consistent rendering of Judaic thought and history. A major tenet of rabbinic Judaism is that the Bible is not to be taken literally.

The Hebrew Bible: The Sacred Books of the Jewish People

How Literally Do Jews Take the Hebrew Bible?

Takeaway

The Christian Bible, which includes the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament of Christ, speaks a lot. You can get hung up on all of the different ideas presented in it. But if you use the incredibly important filter of “love” to understand what it means, including the covenants, you understand that it is a book about love.

God loves all people. Being chosen doesn’t mean God loves only certain people. Rather it’s interpreted by many modern Jews and others as a position of service and example.