1000 Verses – a project of Judaism Resources

The Totality of Scripture

Judaism and Christianity are two different belief systems. They differ from each other on foundational issues such as the identity of God and atonement from sin. Yet these two disparate belief systems point to the same Jewish Bible as a fundamental element of their respective faiths. The doctrines of Judaism and Christianity are diametrical opposites, yet the proponents of both sides of the argument find encouragement in the pages of the same book.

It is obvious that only one of these belief systems can be reading the book correctly. The adherents of one faith are following the true intent of the Divine Author, while the adherents of the other faith must be misusing the book.

There are two methods we can use to determine which of these two belief systems is following the true intent of the Author. We can either focus on the details, or we can look at the big picture.

In order to focus on the details, we would examine each and every one of the passages that the proponents of both faiths present to substantiate their respective doctrines. We must study each passage to see which interpretation is validated by the text. Is it the Jewish interpretation or is it the Christian interpretation?

A thorough analysis of the various scriptural quotations is a worthwhile exercise. A serious study of these scriptural passages will reveal that the doctrines of Judaism are based on a direct and straight-forward reading of the text. At the same time this examination will confirm that the scriptural quotations of the missionary are being wrenched out of their immediate contexts. This study has convinced many committed Christians to embrace Judaism.

There is however another method that will help us determine which of these two belief systems is being loyal to scripture, and which is misusing scripture. We need to step back and look at the big picture. We need to examine the total approach to scripture employed by both Judaism and Christianity. We must ask ourselves if there any major differences that separate these two belief systems in their general approach to scripture.

When we contrast the scriptural quotations presented by the Jew against those presented by the missionary, the disparity between them is immediately obvious. The Jewish quotations tower above the Christian quotations in three distinct areas. The scriptural quotations presented by the Jew are; 1) direct, 2) they are clear 3) and they provide comprehensive support for the doctrine in question. In contrast, the quotations presented by the missionary are 1) never direct, 2) they are not clear, 3) and they fail to support the most significant points of the Christian doctrine in question. This study clearly demonstrates that it is Judaism that is in line with scripture, while the Church is abusing the same document.

1) Direct

A scriptural quotation can be considered direct when the Divine Author places the passage in a setting that clearly identifies it as a teaching on the doctrine in question. We will utilize two examples to illustrate this principle. We will examine the Jewish teaching on idolatry, and the Jewish teaching on atonement. The proponents of Judaism quote the passage of Deuteronomy 4:9-39 to establish a basis for the Jewish doctrine on idolatry. The passage of Ezekiel 33:10-20 is quoted in order to validate the Jewish doctrine on atonement from sin.

The passage of Deuteronomy 4:9-39 is clearly marked as a teaching on the issue of idolatry. The Author repeatedly emphasizes that this is the very point He is trying to make. “Lest you become corrupt and make a carved idol, the similitude of any figure…” (verse 16). “Take heed to yourselves lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God that He made with you and you create for yourselves a carved idol …” (verse 23). “Know therefore this day and consider it in your heart that the Lord, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth below there is none else” (verse 39). The Author of scriptures takes the trouble to ensure that the readers associate this particular passage with the prohibition against idolatry.

Likewise, the passage of Ezekiel 33:10-20 opens with the rhetorical statement “ye have said – our sins and transgressions are upon us, how then shall we live?” The Author of scripture presents the question that every sinner must face; how can I deal with my guilt? The Author of scripture makes it clear that a teaching on the issue of forgiveness from sin is about to be presented.

These two passages quoted by the advocates of Judaism directly address the doctrinal issues that they are called upon to support. The Divine Author ensured that no one can doubt that the passage in Deuteronomy presents a teaching on idolatry, while the passage in Ezekiel teaches forgiveness from sin.

The passages quoted by the proponents of Christianity do not share this elemental property. These passages are not placed in a setting that would indicate that the doctrine in question is being addressed in this passage. The scriptural quotations of the missionary do not directly relate to the doctrines they are called upon to support.

2) Clear

A scriptural quotation can be considered clear when the Divine Author chose words that do not leave room for debate. We will turn to the same two passages that we mentioned above in order to illustrate this point.

The passage in Deuteronomy 4:9-39 clearly provides focus and direction for the worship of the Jewish people. “Only take heed for yourself and guard your souls exceedingly, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life, and you shall make them known to your children and to your children’s children” (verse 9). “And the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire, you heard the voice of words, but saw no form, only a voice” (verse 12). “Take therefore good heed unto yourselves for you saw no manner of form on the day the Lord spoke to you in Horeb from the midst of the fire. Lest you become corrupt and make a carved idol the similitude of any figure…” (verses 15,16). The passage points to the revelation at Sinai as God’s directive to the people of Israel concerning the direction of their worship. Idolatry is prohibited because they saw no form on that occasion. Furthermore this passage reveals that God expects this revelation to be preserved through the teaching of the Jewish nation. No one ever disputed this interpretation. The words that God chose to communicate this message leave no room for another interpretation.

The same holds true for the passage in Ezekiel 33:10-20. The words that God employed in the communication of this message leave no room for doubt in the mind of the reader. “And when I tell the wicked you shall surely die and he repents from his sin and does justice and righteousness. If the wicked returns the pledge, repays for his theft, follows the statutes of life without committing iniquity he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his sins that he committed will not be remembered for him, he has done justice and righteousness, he shall surely live” (verses 14-16). The teaching is crystal clear. When the sinner turns from his evil ways, God does not remember his sins. God did not leave any room for the reader to question the clarity of the message.

The passages quoted by the proponents of Christianity cannot be considered clear. Every one of the major scriptural passages presented in support of Christian doctrine is the subject of fierce debate. It is not only the Jewish scholars who reject the missionary interpretations of these passages. Many Christian scholars dispute the missionary rendition of these passages. The scriptural quotations presented as the basis for Christian doctrine are not clear.

3) Comprehensive

A scriptural quotation can be considered comprehensive when it articulates the basic elements of the doctrine it is called upon to support. The Jewish doctrine on the issue of idolatry is fully articulated in the passage of Deuteronomy 4:9-39. A complete doctrinal statement can be formulated by simply paraphrasing the words of scripture. The doctrine can be summed up with the following words. “We worship the God who revealed Himself to our ancestors at Sinai, as He revealed Himself to our ancestors at Sinai, and in the manner that our ancestors preserved that revelation”. All of these concepts are clearly spelled out in the aforementioned passage.

Similarly, a complete doctrinal statement on the matter of forgiveness from sin can be formulated on the basis of the passage in Ezekiel 33:10-20. The Jewish doctrine can be summed up with the following words. “We believe that God does not hold the sins of the sinner against him when he repents from his evil ways”. The complete concept is spelled out in this passage from the book of Ezekiel.

The passages quoted by the proponents of Christianity are far from comprehensive. The complete amalgamation of all the scriptural quotations presented by the missionary still leaves basic gaps in the missionary argument. Even when the missionary applies the most radical Christian interpretation to scripture, he still will not come up with a passage that can be read as a commandment to direct religious devotion to Jesus. The most radical Christian reading of scripture will still not produce a single verse that associates faith in an individual with forgiveness from sin. The scriptural quotations of the missionary are not comprehensive. They fail to uphold some of the most basic elements of their doctrines.

In conclusion we can say that the scriptural quotations presented in support of Judaism are direct, comprehensive and clear, while the quotations of the Church are circuitous, incomplete and vague. The sum-total of the disparity between these two sets of scriptural quotations is that the Jew relies on God, the Divine Author of scripture, while the Christian must have faith in the wisdom of biased Christian scholars. For the Jew, it is God who tells him that the given passage is talking about the issue at hand. For the Christian, it is the missionary who must tell him that the passage quoted is presenting a teaching on the theological issue under discussion. For the Jew, it is the Divine Author of scripture who made the message clear and understandable. The Christian needs the scholar to create clarity out of confusion. For the Jew, it is God who spells out the complete doctrine in the prophetic texts. The Christian must rely on the theologian to piece together a doctrine from the available fragments.

When we stand back and look at the big picture, it becomes clear that it is Judaism that is loyal to the Authorial intent of scripture, while Christianity misappropriates the scripture. We can more readily appreciate the statement of a former missionary who converted to Judaism. “The Bible is the most powerful counter-missionary book ever published”.

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Circumcise Your Heart

We are commanded by God to circumcise our hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4). How does one go about fulfilling this injunction? What is the meaning of this metaphor?

In the language of Scripture, the heart is the seat of understanding. Just as the eye sees and the ears hear so does the heart understand and know (Isaiah 6:10). Scripture employs the metaphor of uncircumcision for the ear (Jeremiah 6:10). The uncircumcised ear cannot listen or hear. It would then follow that the uncircumcised heart cannot know or understand.

This interpretation is reinforced when we consider the context of the two passages in which our metaphor appears (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4). In both instances Scripture employs a different metaphor as a parallel to the metaphor under discussion. In Deuteronomy the Scripture speaks of ceasing to stiffen our necks. Throughout Scripture a stiff neck is a reference to stubbornness and a refusal to obey and submit. This would be parallel to a heart that refuses to acquire understanding that would necessitate a change in attitude.

In Jeremiah the prophet encourages us to plow our fallow ground and not sow among the thorns (Jeremiah 4:3). The context implies that the prophet is encouraging us to break the hardness of our heart, which would be compared to the unbroken thorny ground, before we plant with prayer, study of God’s word and practice of good deeds.

Leviticus 26:41 speaks of our uncircumcised hearts being humbled through the suffering of exile. This passage further reinforces our interpretation. The arrogant heart is set in its ways and its world view is not open for negotiation. The messages that God sends through His prophets and through the events that He is orchestrating do not move the uncircumcised heart because the uncircumcised heart is closed to the truth.

The call to circumcise our heart is a call to humility, a call to open ourselves up to new understanding. When God commands us to circumcise our heart He is encouraging us to let go of our preconceived notions which prevent us from comprehending His truth.

This activity is not an “all or nothing” proposition. There are many different levels of openness and acceptance of God’s truth. On the one hand you find people who cling so tightly to their world-view and completely close their hearts to the words of God that might overturn the beliefs that they cherish. These people will rehash their own doctrines, endlessly quoting the same few passages that they see as supportive of their creed, and refuse to interact in a meaningful way with the passages of Scripture that would force them to see the world in a new light.

On the other extreme you find people who made life-changing decisions because they opened their hearts to God’s truth. These people are willing to consider the fact that they are human and could make mistakes and their hearts remain open and accepting.

Most of us fall somewhere in between these two extremes. We may hesitate to consider inconvenient truths but we also  do not completely shut up our ears and hearts. Circumcision of the heart is a path of growth. We can all grow in our willingness to accept God’s truth and the injunction of Deuteronomy 10:16 is commanding us to move ever-forward on the path of humility and acceptance.

As human beings our activities are always limited and the scope of our understanding will always be nothing more than a dot against the background of God’s eternal truth. We can never fully open ourselves up to God’s truth on our own because our hearts are human and our abilities are inadequate. Indeed, God promises that He will intervene and circumcise our hearts to the degree that God’s truth becomes an integral part of our beings (Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 31:32; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26). But God also tells us who it is that He will circumcise. God will circumcise the hearts of people who have already opened their hearts to Him (Deuteronomy 30:2). He will write His Law on the hearts of a people who are already carrying His Law in their heart (Isaiah 51:7).

If you want to circumcise your heart then you need to walk in the path of David, Israel’s King. He spelled out this path in Psalm 119. Begin with prayer and supplication to God, because our capacity for self-delusion is so deep. And do not just begin with prayer, but pray from beginning to end. But don’t just pray with your lips, pray with your heart and with your actions. Read God’s word, not to confirm the worldview that you already possess, but rather, allow God’s word to refine your worldview and even to shatter it. Open your heart to God’s truth and listen to His word. With God at your side you have nothing to fear.

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Contrast

Let us contrast the foundational events of Judaism against the foundational events of Christianity.

Every religious belief system (including atheism) must by definition present a teaching on that which is not visible in the physical world. Judaism teaches that there is one God, Christianity teaches that belief in Jesus provides forgiveness for sin, and atheism teaches that there is no God. None of these teachings could be verified through a physical science experiment.

In order to maintain a minimal sense of credibility, any given religious belief system must explain how it is that it received this knowledge from the realm of the invisible.

Judaism is the only religious belief system that comes with the claim that the foundational elements of knowledge came from the realm of the invisible directly to an entire nation. God Himself spoke to Israel and showed them that He is the only God (Exodus 20:1, Deuteronomy 4:35). God Himself allowed the nation to listen in as He spoke to Moses, affirming Moses’ position as God’s prophet (Exodus 19:9). These two articles of information (God’s reality, and the truth of Moses’ prophecy) are the foundations of Judaism, and these were given to the nation directly from God. In stark contrast, the foundational concepts of Christianity were allegedly revealed to individuals (Jesus, and Paul) who passed on what they claimed to have seen and learned. Judaism stands on the testimony of a nation, Christianity (like Islam) stands on the word of individuals.

We could classify miracles into two categories, there are “Wall Street Journal” miracles, and there are “tabloid” miracles. A faith-healing or even a resurrection, are not events that impact the world at large. A respectable newspaper will not put a faith-healing as a headline article because it has no broad ramifications. On the other hand, if the entire army of China were to drown in the sea, the event would make headlines in every respectable media outlet.

The foundational miracles of Judaism impacted the physical lives of nations in a concrete way. The Egyptian army, the world power of the time, was drowned in the Red Sea. A large nation (Israel) was set free from slavery, while another large nation (Egypt) suffered terrible losses. The Nile turned into blood for seven days, the country of Egypt was covered with darkness for three days – events that are visible for miles around and to countless people. In contrast, the alleged miracles of Jesus touched the lives of individuals. Not any individuals, but only those who already had put their faith in him (Mark 6:5). The alleged resurrection was only witnessed by people who already believed in him.

The miracles of Judaism were preserved by the physical descendants of those whose lives were impacted by these foundational miracles. In sharp contrast, there is no family that lives today that claims to descend from those who were healed by Jesus.

In short, the miracles of Judaism are credible from every angle. Christendom acknowledges that God went to these lengths to establish the credibility of the principles of Judaism. And again, the principles of Judaism are logical and straightforward. Yet Christendom expects people to believe that the same God will condemn everyone to hell for not believing the paradoxical teachings of the trinity and the incarnation on the basis of a few “tabloid” miracles?!

(Read Deuteronomy 13:2-6)

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Yisroel C. Blumenthal