“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write down these words . . .’”—Exodus 34:27
We began our study with the lesson about God. We ended the discussion with our reason for being here. In continuing, we need to understand how God reveals His plan for Israel through the Bible.
You might not have a Bible. We suggest you complete these studies with a Bible in hand. If you do not know where to get one, email us at [email protected] and we would be happy to direct you. You may also start reading now online.
What is the Bible?
The Bible is the sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity. The Bible is comprised of sixty-six books written over a span of approximately 1,500 years. There are thirty-nine books in the Jewish Bible—the Hebrew Scriptures, often known as the Old Testament. There are twenty-seven books in the New Testament. Christians consider the Jewish Bible to be holy writings as well. (For a more detailed explanation of what this means, read Chapter 2 of Isaiah 53 Explained.) When we say we believe the Bible is holy, we are claiming these writings are “God-inspired,” which means God guided the authors as they wrote.
Why is it important for you to understand the Bible is God-inspired? For years, the Bible has been perceived as intimidating, outdated, difficult, or unnecessary for many individuals. We would like the opportunity to show you otherwise, especially since Jewish people are the primary audience for whom this book is written. The Bible describes our history, ethics, and religion. The Bible provides the basis for our chosen-ness. Only through reading the Bible can we grasp the truth of our chosen-ness. When we understand our being chosen, we can then begin to fathom our purpose and reason for living.
Questions to consider:
- Do you own a Bible?
- Have you read the Bible?
- Can you believe God wrote the Bible?
If not, why?
Thoughts for you to consider:
Why did God write the Bible?
Jewish people often refer to the Bible with the acronym, TNK, from which we get Tanakh. The Tanakh is divided into three parts: the Torah (the Law; the five books of Moses); the Nevi’im (the Prophets, including Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah); and the Ketuvim (the other writings, including Psalms, Proverbs, and some historical books).
The Hebrew Scriptures relay the history of the children of Israel. The choosing of Jewish people began with the call of Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 12:1–3 says,
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Based on this passage, God chose us to be His people, to live in a land, and to prepare the world for the blessing of the Messiah.
Questions to consider:
- Do you believe Jewish people will always be in existence?
- Do you believe God gave the land of Israel to Jewish people?
- Can you believe the blessing to the world would be the promise of the Messiah?
Thoughts for you to consider:
How did we get the Bible?
The Bible came to us through God’s means of revealing Himself to His people. God revealed Himself in a variety of ways to His chosen authors so they might record a permanent testimony concerning God. What the authors wrote were not their own ideas, but rather God’s ideas.
God used various methods and instruments to reveal His words to His chosen authors (please take a few minutes and read these verses for yourself in your own Bible):
Direct Voice—God spoke in an audible voice to some of them, telling them what to write down (read Exodus 33:1).
Direct Writing—God visibly wrote certain truths about Himself (read Exodus 31:18).
Dreams—God used dreams as a channel through which He revealed truth (read Daniel 2:1–49).
People— God used the personal experiences and spiritual lives of individuals (read Psalm 51).
Natural World—The universe, which God created, declares Him (read Psalm 19:1).
Events—God used human events to reveal His will. The best example of this is in Exodus where we read the Passover story.
Questions to consider:
- Do you believe God can speak directly to someone?
Has God ever spoken to you?
- Do you believe God wrote the Ten Commandments or Moses wrote the Ten Commandments?
- Does it matter to you whether God or people wrote the Bible?
Thoughts for you to consider:
Why Should I Read the Bible?
Within the Jewish Bible, we read about the history of Israel and its future based on the promises God made to Israel. The modern nation of Israel is a fulfillment of prophecy, which speaks to God’s faithfulness to Jewish people. Israel’s existence today is evidence of the reliability of the Bible. The Bible is the source of truth. It gives us a glimpse at the past, instructs us for the present, and fills us with hope for the future. The story of the Bible is ever moving forward, leading toward a point of culmination. According to the Bible, the future event toward which history is heading is the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the messianic kingdom God promised to Israel. God knows the future, He designed it, and He has revealed it to us in the Bible.
One of the best pictures of this messianic kingdom is found in Ezekiel 37:24–26:
My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.
Questions to consider:
- What do you know of the future of Israel as revealed in the Bible?
- From reading Ezekiel 37:24–26 above, who do you think the passage refers to as the prince who will live forever?
- In your own words, describe what this covenant of peace might look like.
Final questions to consider:
- How does God choose who lives during this time of peace?
- Does world peace extend to all people?
Final thoughts for you to consider:
Jewish people have always searched for truth in many different ways and have even looked outside Judaism for their answers. This investigating reflects how we are a people searching for a deeper meaning of life. Many see the Bible as irrelevant. It is our desire, however, for you to see the Bible as the source to deepen your spirituality and to find out how you can have a true relationship with God. If you have never spent much time in the Bible, we hope you might take time to read the different books and sense the deep history we have with our God as Jewish people.
We will examine in our next study how God decides who lives in this world of peace.
