Flee From Egypt: Do Jews Worship Yahweh?
Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love Me'
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In a recent discussion, a friend asserted that Israel is the sole nation still worshipping the same God it did 3,000 years ago. I must respectfully dissent. Modern Israel, and contemporary Judaism at large, do not worship the God of the Bible—Yahweh—in the same manner they did prior to the advent of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Although the timing of this article may appear fraught, given the ongoing tensions in Israel, I want to clarify that my claim is not meant to inflame. As someone with Jewish heritage, I base this assertion on a scriptural and theologically rich understanding of God's covenants and promises. I invite you to consider my argument as I delve into this consequential subject and elucidate the authentic hope that Israel possesses.
In such emotionally charged times, critique can seem inappropriate. However, it's precisely the current events that render this topic not just relevant, but urgent.
Yes, I Condemn Hamas
Before diving deeper into this topic, I unequivocally denounce Hamas as evil. While the intricacies of the Middle East are complex, they don't justify kidnapping, murder, rape, or the torture of innocents under any biblical standard. Arguments that begin with "But Israel did..." may provide context but don't negate the inherent malevolence of attacks on Israel. Therefore, I condemn Hamas—and any party complicit in their deeds—based on their flagrant violation of God's immutable laws, meriting justice.
I condemn Hamas as evil.
I’m Not Anti-Israel
To dispel any misunderstandings upfront, I'm not aligned with Kinism or any similar ideologies. Though I have a small percentage of Jewish heritage, I don't identify as either "pro-Israel" or "anti-Israel." My aim is to faithfully apply Scriptural principles. While I acknowledge Israel's historical and ongoing significance in God's plan, I also distance myself from any notion that ascribes to Israel a form of divine status that excuses moral or ethical lapses. As an American, it's worth noting that Israel is our closest ally in the Middle East.
I recognize that Israel, as a contemporary nation, grapples with significant moral and political quandaries. However, the focus of this discussion is exclusively on the theological aspects concerning the worship of God and the spiritual character of ethnic Israel in the context of divine covenants.
How This Started
This debate originated from a quote by the late Charles Krauthammer, which states:
Israel is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago.
In terms of geography, Krauthammer's first point is accurate; modern Israel largely coincides with biblical borders. Regarding language, although Ancient Hebrew has evolved over time, the essence of Krauthammer's assertion remains valid. Languages naturally evolve, but Hebrew persists as the spoken language in Israel today.
However, the crux of the contention centers on Krauthammer's final point—that Jews "worship the same God that it did 3,000 years ago." From Krauthammer's Jewish vantage point, this is true. Yet as Christians, we recognize that the Jewish Messiah made His advent around AD 30. He displayed an array of miraculous signs and wonders and ultimately submitted to crucifixion by the Romans, instigated by the Jewish authorities—a destiny He willingly embraced to enact His divine plan (Acts 4:26-28 LSB). This narrative is incomplete without noting His burial and bodily resurrection three days later.
To the Point: Jews Do Not Worship Yahweh
Contrary to the claims often spurred by premillennial eschatology, particularly its dispensational form, I argue that Israel isn't simply "God's chosen people" by virtue of their nationality or history. As a Reformed Baptist, I assert that the true people of God have always been defined by His sovereign election, as detailed in Romans 9. The Church did not replace Israel; it is Covenant Israel.
A prevalent counterargument suggests that Jews, even if they reject Jesus Christ as the Son, still worship the Father. I contend, however, that genuine worship of the Father is untenable when the Son is rejected.
Theologian Ligon Duncan defines idolatry as follows:
"There are two ways to commit idolatry. You can worship something other than the one true God, that's one way. The other way is to worship the one true God by means other than those He has prescribed."
This sentiment is reinforced by John MacArthur, who states:
"Idolatry is worshiping something other than the true God in the true way."
Thus, Jews who reject Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, have consequently rejected God and cannot be considered among God's elect or chosen people.
Deny the Son, Deny the Father
"Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." - 1 John 2:23
The crux of the matter is this: If Christ is the image of the invisible God, how can one claim the Jews worship the Father while rejecting the Son? Scripture is explicit: to reject the Son is to reject the Father. "I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
"42 Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.'" - John 8:42-44
Worshiping the Father while dismissing the Son is a theological impossibility. God must be worshiped in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) To engage in worship excluding Christ is to worship of a false god. To deny Christ is to imply God has not revealed Himself, has not spoken, and has not atoned for His people, thereby disregarding the most profound act of love ever manifested. (Rom. 5:6-11)
Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God’
Watershed: Follow God or Fall Away
The advent of the Messiah serves as a watershed moment in history, akin to the Passover event for the Hebrews in Egypt. To be acknowledged as one of God's people, one had to follow Him into the wilderness; to remain in Egypt while claiming to "follow" God constituted idolatry and a rejection of His leadership. This is analogous to the Jews' rejection of Jesus Christ, opting instead to follow the teachers of the laws, the Pharisees, and their rabbis—crafting an idol in the shape of their own comforts and traditions.
To remain in Egypt while claiming to "follow" God constituted idolatry and a rejection of His leadership
This line of reasoning is consistently articulated by Jesus Himself, expanded upon by the Apostles, and forms the main thrust of the epistle to the Hebrews—a New Testament book often insufficiently studied by Christians.
The Jews do not worship Yahweh; they rejected and crucified the very revelation of Yahweh in the person of Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews examines this issue with meticulous care. The author of Hebrews declares:
"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.' And again, 'The Lord will judge His people.' It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:28-31 LSB)
Faithful adherence to God's covenant resides not in those who have abandoned Him upon His self-revelation, but in those who continue to follow Him. There aren't two valid paths to God; fidelity to Him demands acceptance of His unfolding revelation. Those who honored God prior to the Mosaic Law couldn't later dismiss that Law and claim fidelity. Similarly, rejecting Christ—God's ultimate revelation—means rejecting God in His fullness. The Old Covenant is obsolete, eclipsed by a New Covenant. To stubbornly cling to the Old is to reject the God of the Covenant.
Similarly, rejecting Christ—God's ultimate revelation—means rejecting God in His fullness.
A Sober Conclusion: The Hope of Reconciliation
Justification has always been by God's grace alone. Worship of Yahweh demands being steeped in both spirit and truth; failing this, one cannot claim to be worshiping the Father. The Jews, while historically the people of God, are not presently worshiping in either spirit or truth. According to Romans 1, they have substituted the truth of God for a lie, as all idolaters invariably do. Their religious practice has become a counterfeit—akin to the flawed conceptions of God as depicted by Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons (though unlike either, I confess, the foundation of the Jew’s belief rests in honest revelation from God.) Though their current worship may bear a resemblance to the truth, what they worship is a distortion. The shadow gave way to the Light. The fullness of Truth, Christ Himself, was presented and subsequently rejected. The sole hope for ethnic Israel—just as for any individual—is faith in, and submission to, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This article is framed not in a spirit of boasting or ill-will but is prompted by an earnest desire to be faithful to the whole counsel of God as revealed in Scripture. It is my hope the Jews will become jealous for the Covenant we now partake and come into their inheritance. Romans 11 offers a glimpse of future hope for the Jews as a people, while also serving as a cautionary reminder to us (mostly) Gentiles:
20 Quite right! They were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be haughty, but fear, 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? (Romans 11:20-24 LSB)
The text admonishes us to humbly recognize God's gracious provision and cautions against becoming arrogant. For just as Israel was broken off due to unbelief, they can be grafted back into their own olive tree through faith—a faith that we too must continue in, lest we find ourselves also cut off.
It is my hope the Jews will become jealous for the Covenant we now partake and come into their inheritance.
Article revised November 16, 2023.