Religion, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.” Adam and Eve had a relationship with their Creator, but they did not follow a religious creed.
They were not Jews, organized into a group following a leader. There were no “rules” to life except the one which they broke in Genesis 3. When did God’s people first become Jews, practicing Judaism?
Definition of Judaism
Menachem Posner describes this ancient faith. Jews believe that God has always existed in one person and that he always will exist. He made the world but is himself without form, being the “invisible force behind everything that happens and knows everything, past present and future.”
According to Jewish teaching, the Lord gave people free choice to obey his direction “as outlined in the Torah,” with the benefit that they would reap rewards both in life and after death.
Jews strive towards perfection by way of obedience as they look forward to the time “of eternal peace and plenty. This time is known as the era of Moshiach (or Messiah) [when] Jews will return to the Land of Israel and rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. There will be no more death when the Messiah comes.”
Judaism is a monotheistic religion distinct from the polytheistic pagan religions of various cultures in the Middle East.
Roots of Judaism
Judaism began with the Covenant between God and Abraham. “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him” (Genesis 12:6-7).
Abraham’s altar was not the first such structure recorded in the Bible; Noah had built one after the Ark came to rest on dry land where he and his family could disembark.
He made an offering, which pleased the Lord, and God said, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done” (Genesis 8:21).
This was God’s covenant with Noah to withhold judgment “while the earth remains” (v. 22), but not a promise to make a great nation from his descendants. Noah’s experience is a picture of extraordinary trust and a symbol of cleansing.
Andy Patton put it this way: “the flood is about God’s mercy and commitment to the goodness of what he has made.”
Abraham worshiped the same God that Noah worshiped, and Noah was set apart by God. But it is through Abraham that Judaism is said to have begun.
Israel could not be set apart if there was nothing to be set apart from. Michael Lawrence explained that “the Abrahamic Covenant is really the beginning of the formal revelation of the covenant of grace, of God's decision to reach into humanity and specifically save people for Himself.”
The Abrahamic Covenant is considered the root of Judaism because, by this covenant, God deliberately set himself and his people apart from other nations around them.
He set himself apart as the only God, not one of the many gods which other cultures worshiped. God was putting his redemptive plan in motion, which already looked forward to the resurrecting power of Jesus Christ.
The religion of Judaism honors God Almighty looks back on what he has done and looks forward to what he will do.
Some Jews became Christians, believing that Christ is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Individuals in modern times who grow up as Jews but come to believe in Christ as One of the Trinity, Savior of the world, are called Messianic Jews.
Organized Around the Commandments
What started with one man came to fruition during the time of the Exodus, when God freed his people from bondage to Pharaoh, showing by his mighty power that he alone was God, able to create a dry path between walls of water, which would permit Israel to pass through the Red Sea; walls which would crash onto the pursuing Egyptian army.
At the other side, as the Jews celebrated the end of slavery, God gave Moses the law by which his people were supposed to live.
These commandments began by proclaiming him as Sovereign over the people and establishing their posture towards him — humble, worshipful, obedient. He gave them direction on how to act towards him and each other — do not murder, steal, or lie.
While right and wrong were written on their hearts (Romans 2:15), this was the first time God’s direction was given formal shape.
“The Ten Commandments formed part of the 613 laws that governed ancient Hebrew society,” wrote Dolores Smyth, such as “civil rules that governed the Israelites’ day-to-day life, ceremonial rules that governed the worship of God in the Temple, and moral rules that concisely summarized all of the Old Testament laws as to how people interacted with God and with each other.”
The people always had a purpose, but they longed for organization and overt direction. Judaism finally had purpose and direction. Their nation was created by the Lord to honor and praise him, to follow and obey him.
The commandments demonstrated what their behavior would look like if they did, indeed, worship God in love. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5).
Rather than a rule book, the law would provide the basis for a daily spiritual check-in: at least, that was the idea. Religion easily turns into legalism, as Jesus revealed when he healed a man on the Sabbath (Matthew 12).
The People Remember
Unlike some religions, which were based on superstition, Israel had the luxury of looking back on the works and words of their Creator, which they could call to mind, not as myth, but as history.
Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).
Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord (Deuteronomy 9:7).
When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple (Jonah 2:7).
The Jews were scattered and persecuted, yet leaders could recite Scripture and remind one another of God’s power and his promises, which united his people in a spiritually powerful way. Jonah was rescued from inside the belly of a whale.
Daniel was saved from becoming a lion’s dinner, and his friends survived the fiery furnace. Moses and Aaron walked the Israelites across the Red Sea.
Rabbis and other leaders taught people to remember God’s deeds, to have faith that God would overcome evil, and to never lose hope in the face of oppression.
And they also had something no other religion could offer — relationship with their God. The verses above outline God’s fervent love for Israel.
They were invited and encouraged to cry out to him on the basis that their predecessors had done so. The Psalms are full of such cries but also praise and thanks. Songs were sung and poems uttered to the praise of a God, both powerful and personal.
Judaism Today
The world’s population exploded, Jews continued to be persecuted and scattered, and their beliefs changed shape. Today there are many denominations of Judaism and numerous organizations which declare that theirs is the true religion.
While certain groups stick closely to biblical teaching, others have compromised with social values. In this way, Jews are much like Christians with their numerous sects. But religion is not a personal faith, a genuine relationship with God.
The Law was not meant as a means of behavior modification but as a means by which God’s people could shine a spotlight on their sin and God’s glory, opening a way to confess, repent, and be saved.
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20).
Religion provides structure and knowledge, which can lead to a saving faith. The Old Testament exists because of faithful Jews who took care to record the Word of God carefully and lovingly for the benefit of future generations.
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